The Pitch Competition headlines Day 1 of Step San Francisco 2026 — a curated, on-stage pitch night where 30 startups selected from the showcase applications pitch to a panel of active investors. It's the highest-signal room of the week: real founders, real judges, real follow-ups.
How Startups Are Selected
- Apply through the Startup Showcase application — one form covers both the showcase and the pitch competition
- Our team curates 30 finalists from the applicant pool across AI, fintech, climate, infrastructure, consumer, and more
- We focus on pre-seed through Series B startups; later-stage applications are reviewed case-by-case
- Selected finalists are notified by email with stage details and prep materials
Judging Criteria
- Problem & market — is this a real, sizable problem worth solving now?
- Product & traction — evidence of momentum, usage, or revenue
- Team — founder-market fit and ability to execute
- Clarity of the pitch — can you tell the story crisply under time pressure?
Pitch Format
- 3-minute pitch on stage — slides optional, story required
- 2 minutes of live Q&A with the investor judging panel
- Judges score each pitch and deliberate at the end of the night
- Top 3 finalists announced live at the close of the Kick-off night
- The 3 finalists pitch on the main stage on the conference day, where the winner is selected
What Winners Receive
- Winner spotlight on the Day 2 main stage at The Midway
- Curated 1:1 investor introductions after the event
- Feature on the Step SF website
- Potential media coverage through Step SF media partners — at the media partners' discretion
