Innovate Mississippi

Startup Summit 2025
2025-04-24 - 2025-04-25 | Starkville, Mississippi
Join us at the MSU Center for Entrepreneurship & Outreach Startup Summit Pitch Competition for an action-packed 2-day event where bold founders will hit the stage to pitch their big ideas, compete for cash prizes, and connect with Mississippi’s vibrant entrepreneurial community.
Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned business leader, or an investor scouting your next great prospect, you’ll find energy, innovation, and inspiration in every pitch. Come for the ideas, stay for the connections, and be part of the movement shaping Mississippi’s future.
Event Details:
-April 24th: Mississippi Made Pitch Competition at McCool Hall, MSU Campus 10:00 am-6:30 pm
-April 25th: Bulldog Business National Pitch Competition and Reception – The Mill Conference Center, 3:00 pm-7:30 pm. Free networking reception open to the public to celebrate all the contestants and small businesses.
This event is part of Mississippi’s statewide pitch network, powered by Innovate Mississippi and the Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network. Together, they provide two pitch pathways—one for high-growth startups and another for traditional small businesses. If a founder’s venture shows strong high-growth potential, they may even earn an invitation to join the CoBuilders Accelerator.
This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SSBCI-21034-0003 awarded to Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

MSU Startup Expedition
2026-01-30 - 2026-01-31 | MS
Startup Weekend is now Startup Expedition!
MSU’s Startup Weekend is now a 3-part journey—Startup Expedition—designed to take ideas from spark to showcase.

Startup Basecamp (Jan 30–31, 2026 @ MCITy, Vicksburg): A two-day launchpad where participants form teams, explore technologies, and begin the climb toward Startup Summit.
Startup Elevate (February – mid-March): A hybrid 6-week guided program covering customer discovery, technology development planning, competitive research, business model design, financials, and pitch prep.
Startup Ascent (late March): Teams pitch at the local DAWG Tank pitch competition, presenting newly developed commercial opportunities to a panel of judges. Winners advance to Startup Summit, (April) Mississippi State University’s statewide showcase of top startups alongside student founders from across the country.

Register Here

FoundersPlus Spring Cohort – Now Accepting Applications
2026-03-11 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | MS
Applications Open: Monday, February 23
Applications Close: Friday, March 6 at 8:00 AM
Program Kickoff: Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 PM

FoundersPlus will meet each Wednesday virtually at 6:00 PM from March 11 through April 8 (five consecutive weeks).

This structured webinar series is designed to help early-stage founders gain clarity, traction, and momentum as they build and grow their ventures.
Application link: https://airtable.com/appA3cnVKTqDfNuMC/pagyxhbct4Xd2zuT9/form

IDEA Institute
2026-03-25 | MS
Got a startup idea—or ready to take your business to scale? Applications are now open for the Spring 2026 IDEAinstitute cohort at The Idea Village.
IDEAinstitute is a 12-week hybrid accelerator for early-stage entrepreneurs ready to level up. Whether you’re refining a new concept or finally bringing that idea to life, this program gives you the structure, support, and startup fundamentals to launch with confidence.
What you’ll get:
✅ Weekly founder sessions & 1:1 coaching
✅ Tools and frameworks to launch a scalable venture
✅ Training in the Lean Startup Method
✅ A shot at Spring Pitch Night
✅ A community of founders, investors, and mentors
Alumni have gone on to raise funding, grow revenue, and join later-stage accelerators—starting with the foundation they built in IDEAinstitute.
Apply by March 25, 2026 by submitting a founder profile here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdDjiG1_lG4CElu4TD9GZQUdHaK1ALQJ-f5ZAyO-OstpmKbgg/viewform?mc_cid=2d84e3e571&mc_eid=5e1a4a661f
