BGV Pull Up & Pitch: Chicago

BGV is bringing Pull Up & Pitch to Chicago on May 30th, 2026.

Pull Up & Pitch brings the pitch competition from the “business stage” to your neighborhood, focusing on normalizing business pitching, creating visibility for innovative ideas, supporting small business revitalization, and educating the public on how to ask for and manage finances. It’s a fast-paced, highly entertaining two-round competition where under-resourced founders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs shoot their shot with a 60-second elevator pitch to access up to $30,000 in grants to grow their businesses on the spot!

Imagine The Voice meets Shark Tank in your neighborhood! No prior pitch experience is required. Pull Up & Pitch is open to under-resourced founders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs.

You want to come early; it's first-come, first-served. Line-up starts at 8:30 a.m.

How does the Pull Up & Pitch event work?

In Round 1, Founders will pitch for 60 seconds to a panel of champions (judges)

Each champion gets one vote

• One thumb-up equals $200
• Two thumbs up equals $250
• Three thumbs up are worth $500

If the Founder receives a vote from all three judges, they move on to Round 2.

In Round 2, seven Founders will pitch for up to 3 minutes to special guest judges for the chance to access additional grant money + other perks and prizes from partners.

Round 2 grand prizes are:

• 1st place: $10k
• 2nd place: $3k
• 3rd place: $2k

Terms and conditions:

• These sessions will be recorded/photographed. Your RSVP is consent to be recorded/photographed.
• To be eligible for funding, you must be a business registered in the US and have less than $1M in revenue.
• Our mission is to accelerate Founders/CEOs who identify as under-resourced.
• Payouts to pitch participants will be made via PayPal transfer. Please have your information ready.

Got questions? We have answers! Email us at [email protected].

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Host or Publisher The Black Girl Ventures Foundation