Expert Overview

The i.Invest National Youth Business Competition is a pitch competition run by i.Invest and funded by the LifeSkills Foundation, in which entrepreneurs aged 13–19 in the U.S. and Canada compete with a product or service they have already created. Entrants submit a concept profile and a two-minute pitch video, and finalists pitch live.

Format

Team

Judging Format

Jurors, Criteria based: Entrepreneurial Spirit, Product Knowledge, Salesmanship, Wow Factor

Monetary

Opportunity

Recognition

Grade Eligibility

Rising Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Geographic Eligibility

US, International

Discipline

EntrepreneurshipBusinessFinanceInvesting

Entries

Not published

Percent Awarded

Not published

Important Dates

Applications Open

March 1, 2027

Application Deadline

May 1, 2027

Passed

Open

Approaching: < 1 mo.

Priority: < 2 weeks

Urgent: < 1 week

Registration Cost

Application fee

$39 non-refundable

About

Teams of up to five may enter one business concept, and an application fee applies, with a hardship waiver available. The product or service must be verified by a teacher, entrepreneur, or business leader; parents cannot verify it. Reviewers score the executive summary and video, the top 15 to 20 applicants in each category receive virtual group coaching and submit a business plan, and the top five advance to a live pitch event.

Unlike a stock-pitch or case competition, i.Invest requires a working product or service, so an entry is evidence of a real venture rather than a hypothetical one. The top-five pitch is the credential that counts. The organizer publishes no applicant totals, and its winners page lists two winners a year only through 2020.

i.Invest is the right competition for a young founder who already has a working product and wants structured coaching and a pitch audience, understanding that the venture itself is the central value.