Altitut Startup Cup 2026
Student startups compete. Community votes. Top teams win real capital and credentials.
Altitut SBIR Studio Pass
$10,000 Kickstart Capital
Altitut Certificates
Verified founder credentials
📣 Ask your friends to vote for you
After you submit, share your startup page. Every daily vote during qualifying (TBD) pushes you toward the top 16 and the $10,000 Kickstart prize.
What you can win
Grand prize
Altitut SBIR Studio Pass
$10,000 Kickstart Capital
Top Startup Cup teams earn a pass into Altitut SBIR Studio — including immediate $10,000 in kickstart seed capital to incorporate, cover early legal/ops costs, and prepare a competitive federal grant path.
Learn about the $10K program →Grand prize
Altitut Certificates
Verified founder credentials
Finalists and champions receive Altitut certificates that recognize your pitch, traction, and competition performance — shareable proof of your startup journey.
View credentials in the app →Competition schedule
Exact dates will be announced soon. All times show TBD until organizers publish the schedule.
Tournament bracket
Top 16 from qualifying enter a knockout bracket — 16 → 8 → 4 → 2 → 1 champion.
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How it works
- 1
Qualifying round
.edu students submit a startup title, description, and a pitch video from their Altitut practice recordings. One entry per founder.
- 2
Community voting
Anyone with an Altitut account can vote for their favorite startups during qualifying. You may vote once per startup per Central Time calendar day.
- 3
Top 16 bracket
When qualifying ends, the top 16 teams by votes advance to a knockout Startup Cup bracket (16→8→4→2→1) with fresh 1v1 matchups each round.
- 4
Champions
Winners receive the Altitut SBIR Studio Pass ($10,000 Kickstart Capital) and Altitut certificates — tools to turn momentum into real funding.
How to enter (.edu students)
- 1Sign in to the Altitut app with your .edu email.
- 2Open Startup Cup from Home → Submit entry (or View details on altitut.ai).
- 3Add a pitch video — record in Pitch Practice, pick from practice, or upload a file.
- 4After submission, share your page and ask friends to vote once per Central Time day during qualifying. You can edit your entry anytime while qualifying is open.