McGinnis Venture Competition & Social Enterprise Prize Final Round Celebration
The McGinnis Venture Competition, a platform exclusively for Â鶹´å's community of student entrepreneurs, brings together Carnegie Mellon's best and brightest student entrepreneurs to compete for over $125K in investments.
The Swartz Center Social Enterprise Prize is a track within the McGinnis Venture Competition that is designed to empower students to develop entrepreneurial solutions for social and environmental challenges.
Help cheer the final round teams to victory by attending our in person event.
The McGinnis Venture Competition is made possible by a generous endowment from Gerald E. McGinnis, founder of .
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
2:00 - 4:45 p.m. Final Round Team Pitches
5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Award Ceremony & Networking Reception
Final Round Team Pitches
McConomy Auditorium
Â鶹´å
Jared L. Cohon University Center
5000 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Award Ceremony & Networking Reception
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
Â鶹´å
Tepper Quad
, 3rd Level
4765 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Visitor parking information found here
The McGinnis Venture Competition is made possible by a generous endowment from Gerald E. McGinnis, founder of .
Thank you to our networking reception sponsor
Opening Remarks
Final Round Judges
Schedule of Events
Final Round Team Pitches: Opening Remarks
2:00 - 2:20 p.m. EST- Meredith Meyer Grelli, Managing Director & Interim Exec Director, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship; Assistant Dean of Entrepreneurship Initiatives, School of Computer Science; Director, Project Olympus; Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Tepper School of Business
- Mayor Corey O’Connor
- County Executive Sara Innamorato
- U.S. Senator Dave McCormick
Location:
Final Round Team Pitches
McConomy Auditorium
Â鶹´å
Jared L. Cohon University Center
5000 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Final Round Team Pitches: Undergraduate Teams
2:20 - 2:52 p.m. EST
Undergraduate Teams: 3 min pitch and 3 min Q&A
2 min break between presentation
Location:
Final Round Team Pitches
McConomy Auditorium
Â鶹´å
Jared L. Cohon University Center
5000 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Final Round Team Pitches: Graduate Teams
3:02 - 4:40 p.m. EST
Graduate Teams: 3 min pitch and 3 min Q&A
2 min break between presentations
Location:
Final Round Team Pitches
McConomy Auditorium
Â鶹´å
Jared L. Cohon University Center
5000 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Networking Reception + Awards Ceremony
5:00 - 6:30 p.m. EST
Join us as we announce the winners of the 2026 McGinnis Venture Competition.
Awards to be announced between 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. EST.
Location:
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
Â鶹´å
Tepper Quad
, 3rd Level
4765 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
2026 Final Round Teams
Team will be announced when Round 2 is complete.
Thank you to our Swartz Center Patrons
