Best of the Midwest
Best of the Midwest
Pitch. Compete. Break Through.
Apply to present at this year's Best of the Midwest competition in Des Moines, Iowa
Startup Pitches
Speakers
Networking
Technology
Venture Capital
Startup Pitches
Speakers
Networking
Technology
Venture Capital
Best of the Midwest Overview
Best of the Midwest Overview
Your Chance to Pitch & Accelerate Your Startup’s Future
Your Chance to Pitch & Accelerate Your Startup’s Future
Iowa Startup Week is bringing the Midwest's most ambitious founders to one stage and we're looking for the innovations that will change the world.
The Best of the Midwest Pitch Competition is your chance to put your startup in front of the investors, advocates, and decision-makers who can help you scale. No equity. No strings. Just a runway.
Iowa Startup Week is bringing the Midwest's most ambitious founders to one stage and we're looking for the innovations that will change the world.
The Best of the Midwest Pitch Competition is your chance to put your startup in front of the investors, advocates, and decision-makers who can help you scale. No equity. No strings. Just a runway.
The perfect fit
The perfect fit
What We Are Looking For
What We Are Looking For
If you're building something scalable, something that solves a real problem, something that could travel well beyond the Midwest — we want to hear from you.
If you're building something scalable, something that solves a real problem, something that could travel well beyond the Midwest — we want to hear from you.
Your startup is Midwest based in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, or Nebraska
Your startup is Midwest based in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, or Nebraska
You founded your company in 2021 or later
You founded your company in 2021 or later
Annual revenue under $1M
Annual revenue under $1M
You're building in one of our focus verticals:
You're building in one of our focus verticals:
You're building in one of our focus verticals:
AgTech & Food Innovation - From precision agriculture to alternative proteins, this vertical is built for founders reimagining how we grow, move, and feed the world.
CleanTech & Energy - Founders building the infrastructure for a lower-carbon future: renewable energy, grid modernization, water technology, and sustainable materials.
HealthTech, MedTech & Therapeutics - From care delivery platforms to medical devices to drug discovery, this vertical spans the full spectrum of health innovation.
Industrial & Supply Chain Tech - Hardware, automation, robotics, logistics software, and the technology connecting global supply chains.
FinTech & InsurTech - Payments, lending, wealth management, insurance infrastructure — founders rebuilding financial services from the ground up.
SaaS & Enterprise Software - Pure-play software companies solving real business problems at scale.
AgTech & Food Innovation - From precision agriculture to alternative proteins, this vertical is built for founders reimagining how we grow, move, and feed the world.
CleanTech & Energy - Founders building the infrastructure for a lower-carbon future: renewable energy, grid modernization, water technology, and sustainable materials.
HealthTech, MedTech & Therapeutics - From care delivery platforms to medical devices to drug discovery, this vertical spans the full spectrum of health innovation.
Industrial & Supply Chain Tech - Hardware, automation, robotics, logistics software, and the technology connecting global supply chains.
FinTech & InsurTech - Payments, lending, wealth management, insurance infrastructure — founders rebuilding financial services from the ground up.
SaaS & Enterprise Software - Pure-play software companies solving real business problems at scale.
The perfect fit
The perfect fit
What You Will Get
Funding
A life-changing cash prize.
Funding
A life-changing cash prize.
Funding
A life-changing cash prize.
Perks
A stage, a spotlight and a room full of the right people.
Perks
A stage, a spotlight and a room full of the right people.
Perks
A stage, a spotlight and a room full of the right people.
Support
Real guidance: before, during and after the final pitch.
Support
Real guidance: before, during and after the final pitch.
Support
Real guidance: before, during and after the final pitch.
Process
Process
How to Apply
Applications open June 1st, 2026
Applications close June 21st, 2026
Applications open June 1st, 2026
Applications close June 21st, 2026
Step 1
Submit Your Video [June 1 – 21]
Send us a 2–3 minute video introducing your startup and your innovation. No pitch decks required at this stage. Just you, your idea, and why it matters. (See tips below.)
Step 1
Submit Your Video [June 1 – 21]
Send us a 2–3 minute video introducing your startup and your innovation. No pitch decks required at this stage. Just you, your idea, and why it matters. (See tips below.)
Step 1
Submit Your Video [June 1 – 21]
Send us a 2–3 minute video introducing your startup and your innovation. No pitch decks required at this stage. Just you, your idea, and why it matters. (See tips below.)
Step 1
Submit Your Video [June 1 – 21]
Send us a 2–3 minute video introducing your startup and your innovation. No pitch decks required at this stage. Just you, your idea, and why it matters. (See tips below.)
Step 2
Shortlist Review [June 22-July 5]
Shortlisted applicants will be asked to submit a brief business summary including value proposition, founding team, current revenue, and how you'd deploy the prize money. This helps our judging panel understand not just what you're building, but where you're taking it.
Step 2
Shortlist Review [June 22-July 5]
Shortlisted applicants will be asked to submit a brief business summary including value proposition, founding team, current revenue, and how you'd deploy the prize money. This helps our judging panel understand not just what you're building, but where you're taking it.
Step 2
Shortlist Review [June 22-July 5]
Shortlisted applicants will be asked to submit a brief business summary including value proposition, founding team, current revenue, and how you'd deploy the prize money. This helps our judging panel understand not just what you're building, but where you're taking it.
Step 2
Shortlist Review [June 22-July 5]
Shortlisted applicants will be asked to submit a brief business summary including value proposition, founding team, current revenue, and how you'd deploy the prize money. This helps our judging panel understand not just what you're building, but where you're taking it.
Step 3
Semi-Finalist Showcase [Sept 28-30]
10 semi-finalists will be selected across each vertical and invited to present in-person at an exclusive, invitation-only showcase attended by venture capital investors from across the Midwest. Attendees vote for who advances to the final stage and the opportunity to compete for the grand prize.
Step 3
Semi-Finalist Showcase [Sept 28-30]
10 semi-finalists will be selected across each vertical and invited to present in-person at an exclusive, invitation-only showcase attended by venture capital investors from across the Midwest. Attendees vote for who advances to the final stage and the opportunity to compete for the grand prize.
Step 3
Semi-Finalist Showcase [Sept 28-30]
10 semi-finalists will be selected across each vertical and invited to present in-person at an exclusive, invitation-only showcase attended by venture capital investors from across the Midwest. Attendees vote for who advances to the final stage and the opportunity to compete for the grand prize.
Step 3
Semi-Finalist Showcase [Sept 28-30]
10 semi-finalists will be selected across each vertical and invited to present in-person at an exclusive, invitation-only showcase attended by venture capital investors from across the Midwest. Attendees vote for who advances to the final stage and the opportunity to compete for the grand prize.
Step 4
The Big Stage [October 1]
The 3 finalists compete on the evening of October 1, 2026 at the Hoyt Sherman Theater in Des Moines in front of a packed house and a prize purse that could change everything.
Step 4
The Big Stage [October 1]
The 3 finalists compete on the evening of October 1, 2026 at the Hoyt Sherman Theater in Des Moines in front of a packed house and a prize purse that could change everything.
Step 4
The Big Stage [October 1]
The 3 finalists compete on the evening of October 1, 2026 at the Hoyt Sherman Theater in Des Moines in front of a packed house and a prize purse that could change everything.
Step 4
The Big Stage [October 1]
The 3 finalists compete on the evening of October 1, 2026 at the Hoyt Sherman Theater in Des Moines in front of a packed house and a prize purse that could change everything.
The Prize
A non-dilutive prize purse that goes directly into your business.
Details coming soon!
Video Process
Video Process
How to Make a Video That Gets Noticed
Your 2-3 minute entry video is your first impression. Make it count. But also count the minutes. Anything over 3 minutes will be disqualified.
Your 2-3 minute entry video is your first impression. Make it count. But also count the minutes. Anything over 3 minutes will be disqualified.
Lead with the problem, not the product
Don't open with your company name and logo. Open with the world as it exists without your solution, the friction, the gap, the thing that shouldn't still be broken in 2026. Make us feel the problem before you solve it.
Lead with the problem, not the product
Don't open with your company name and logo. Open with the world as it exists without your solution, the friction, the gap, the thing that shouldn't still be broken in 2026. Make us feel the problem before you solve it.
Lead with the problem, not the product
Don't open with your company name and logo. Open with the world as it exists without your solution, the friction, the gap, the thing that shouldn't still be broken in 2026. Make us feel the problem before you solve it.
Lead with the problem, not the product
Don't open with your company name and logo. Open with the world as it exists without your solution, the friction, the gap, the thing that shouldn't still be broken in 2026. Make us feel the problem before you solve it.
Tell us what you've built
xplain your innovation in plain language. If you can't describe it simply, that's worth working on before you submit.
Tell us what you've built
xplain your innovation in plain language. If you can't describe it simply, that's worth working on before you submit.
Tell us what you've built
xplain your innovation in plain language. If you can't describe it simply, that's worth working on before you submit.
Tell us what you've built
xplain your innovation in plain language. If you can't describe it simply, that's worth working on before you submit.
Show us why you
Ideas are everywhere. Execution is rare. Why are you or your team the one/s to build this? What have you already proven? What have you learned the hard way?
Show us why you
Ideas are everywhere. Execution is rare. Why are you or your team the one/s to build this? What have you already proven? What have you learned the hard way?
Show us why you
Ideas are everywhere. Execution is rare. Why are you or your team the one/s to build this? What have you already proven? What have you learned the hard way?
Show us why you
Ideas are everywhere. Execution is rare. Why are you or your team the one/s to build this? What have you already proven? What have you learned the hard way?
Keep it real
You don't need a production crew. A well-lit room, a confident founder, and a clear story will beat a slick video with nothing behind it every time.
Keep it real
You don't need a production crew. A well-lit room, a confident founder, and a clear story will beat a slick video with nothing behind it every time.
Keep it real
You don't need a production crew. A well-lit room, a confident founder, and a clear story will beat a slick video with nothing behind it every time.
Keep it real
You don't need a production crew. A well-lit room, a confident founder, and a clear story will beat a slick video with nothing behind it every time.
Above all else, make sure we can hear you, see you and believe you.
Above all else, make sure we can hear you, see you and believe you.
Join Us
Join Us
Applications open June 1, 2026
Applications open June 1, 2026
Applications open June 1, 2026
Add it to your calendar. Join the mailing list for updates. We'll see you on the big stage.
Get started
Get started
Interested in Sponsoring? Let’s Talk.
FAQs
FAQs
Got Questions?
Got Questions?
What does it cost to attend?
What does it cost to attend?
Are sponsorship opportunities available?
Are sponsorship opportunities available?
Who should attend Iowa Startup Week?
Who should attend Iowa Startup Week?
Do I need to have a startup to attend?
Do I need to have a startup to attend?
Iowa Startup Week is a week-long event in Des Moines, Iowa designed to celebrate and platform entrepreneurship in the Midwest.
© Iowa Startup Week. All rights reserved.
Iowa Startup Week is a week-long event in Des Moines, Iowa designed to celebrate and platform entrepreneurship in the Midwest.
© Iowa Startup Week. All rights reserved.
Iowa Startup Week is a week-long event in Des Moines, Iowa designed to celebrate and platform entrepreneurship in the Midwest.
© Iowa Startup Week. All rights reserved.
Iowa Startup Week is a week-long event in Des Moines, Iowa designed to celebrate and platform entrepreneurship in the Midwest.
© Iowa Startup Week. All rights reserved.