Origin Pitch 2026
A pitch competition for Minnesota builders, hosted at the 2026 MN Rising Professionals Conference.
A conference ticket is required to apply. Selection is not guaranteed: ten semifinalists are chosen, and five pitch live on stage.
A pitch competition inside the conference.
Origin House runs the pitch competition at the 2026 MN Rising Professionals Conference. Semifinalists are picked from written applications. Five finalists pitch live on stage in front of the room, and one winner is announced the same day.
A conference ticket is required to apply, and applying does not guarantee a spot. Ten semifinalists are chosen, and five of those pitch live. Register for the conference.
- Who can apply
- Any business owner
- Revenue limit
- Under $500K
- Where
- University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis
- When
- September 26, 2026
- Format
- 5 minutes, then questions
- Cost to apply
- Free
A recognition gesture for the winner and finalists.
VC firms and angel investors in the audience, scouting.
From application to stage.
Applications
Apply with a short form and a five-to-ten-slide deck. Ten minutes if your deck is ready.
NowApplications openAug 29Applications closeSelection
We read every application. Ten builders move forward on September 5, then five finalists on September 10.
Sept 510 semifinalists notifiedSept 105 finalists notifiedLive pitch
Five minutes on stage at the MN Rising Professionals Conference, then questions from the judges. Winner announced that day.
Sept 26Live pitch at the MN Rising Professionals ConferenceSept 26Winner announced
Six things, and what each one is worth.
One scorecard, filled in by operators who have run the thing you are building.
Traction
25%What has actually happened. Customers, revenue, pilots, waitlists, anything real that we can check.
Problem clarity
20%Who hurts, how often, and what it costs them today. Specific beats broad every time.
Go-to-market
15%How you are reaching customers today, and how you plan to scale that channel as you grow.
The solution
15%What you built, why it fits the problem, and what makes it hard for someone else to copy.
Why you
15%Your reason for being the one to do this. Experience, obsession, or an unfair advantage.
Market opportunity
10%How big this gets if it works, and who else is already trying to get there.
Scored by operators, not a panel of strangers.
Apply to Pitch
Rising Entrepreneur of the Year
Alongside the pitch, one Minnesota founder is recognized for vision, momentum, and the kind of work that deserves a room's attention.
Presented on stage September 26. Self-nominations welcome.
Everything people ask us first.
Applying is free, but a ticket to the 2026 MN Rising Professionals Conference is required to apply and to attend. Applying does not guarantee a spot: ten semifinalists are chosen from the written applications, and five pitch live on stage.