Voting is Live!
Vote for your favorite 99-second pitch video
YOU decide who advances to Prime Time regional finals!
Entries closed October 24
Get notified about the next Challenge in 2026
Your story. One 99-second video.
Prizes start at just 250 votes!
Win up to $10,000 in cash & prizes!
Visit Seattle during World Cup!
YOur challenge:
CREATE
your pitch video
You have 99 seconds to share your vision!
PROMOTE
and inspire votes
Do all you can to get as many votes as possible!
Win
amazing prizes
Everyone can win - starting at just 250 votes!
Promote the vote!
You could win an appearance in Prime Time and a chance at the Grand Prize of $5000 cash and a trip to Seattle for the huge Founders Live Athletes: Big Game Bash during World Cup 2026!
/ Here’s how it works
It’s all about YOU and your drive.
Your business has a unique story.
Time to tell the world.
CHALLENGE PHASE 1:
CREATE & SHARE
Craft, upload, and share your 99-second pitch video
We’ll give you our proven Pitch Prep Package to help.
*Must be an actual company. See the full details.
CHALLENGE PHASE 2:
PROMOTE & WIN
Rally your customers and fans to vote!
Use our viral plan and promotional tips!
Inspire 250+ people to vote:
Win 1 Year Founders Live introductory membership
Valued at over $200 per year! Launching October 2025 🤫
Inspire 1000+ people to vote:
Win our Booster Pack
Over $1,000,000 in real cash credits and discounts on key apps and services
Inspire 2000+ people to vote:
Win a mentorship with Founders Live founder and CEO, Nick Hughes!
Nick will personally coach you toward success for yourself and your startup.
/ Then It Goes Global
You could qualify for our Prime Time global tournament!
This is where it gets really interesting…
CHALLENGE PHASE 3:
QUALIFY & COMPETE
Get the most votes in your geographic region:
Pitch LIVE online in your region’s finals in our Prime Time global tournament this fall!
PRIME TIME REGIONAL FINALS
Get the most votes in your region’s Prime Time finals:
Compete LIVE online in our Prime Time Global Finals!
PRIME TIME GLOBAL FINALS
Get the most votes in the Prime Time Global Finals:
Win the grand prize of $5,000 in cash and a trip to Seattle for our incredible Founders Live Athletes: Big Game Bash during World Cup 2026!
Winner Highlights
Our Prime Time 2023 Global Champion began in the Challenge!
We brought her to Seattle for a VIP experience.
/ Put YourSelf to the Test
Do you have a worthy vision?
Or were the doubters right?
Let’s find out!
Free Entry!
/ 2025 Timeline
September 23
Challenge Begins
Accept the Challenge
Craft your pitch video
Upload your pitch video
October 22 24
Deadline to Upload
Upload pitch video by 23:59:59 UTC
Get ready to promote your voting link!
October 23
Voting Begins
Fans view pitch videos
Fans vote on videos
Fans RSVP for Prime Time
November 10
Voting Ends
Fans vote by 23:59:59 UTC
Fans RSVP for Prime Time
November 11
Winners Announced
Founders with the most votes in their region advances to their region’s finals this fall
Founders receive prep info
November 17 -
November 21
Prime Time Tournament
Top city and Challenge winners compete
One region per day
Winners advance to the Global Finals
November 22
Prime Time Global Finals
Finalists from each region compete
Winner is our 2025 global champion!
Grand Prize worth $10,000 in cash and prizes!
/ This is a gut check. Are you ready?
The Prime Time Pitch Challenge starts with you.
How much do you really believe in your vision? Your team? Your product? Your customers?
Can you distill everything you know as a founder into one succinct, charismatic, convincing 99-second pitch?
How well can you promote yourself and activate your support system? Can you grow it with a great pitch?
In this challenge, your biggest opponent is yourself!
/ We Grow Through Challenge
This journey of self-discovery will bring incredible benefits to you and your business.
1000’s of founders have gained momentum and confidence simply by going through the process of preparing their 99-second pitches.
-
Taking the time to contemplate key questions like, “What is my vision? What is our value proposition?” are a needed reality check for every founder.
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Writing and recording a convincing 99-second video pitch is a transformative process that requires founders to dig deep and think clearly.
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Making this kind of public commitment to yourself and your vision brings a rewarding validation like no other.
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Emerging from this process gives you a special confidence you can’t get any other way
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Adapting everything you know about your business into a 99-second video pitch that convinces people to understand and support you requires stretching yourself to learn valuable new skills.
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Beyond the personal validation, we have actual prizes for all participants simply for accepting the Challenge.
The most voted pitches earn a chance to pitch live on the Prime Time stage to possibly win USD $25,000
You never know who your message will reach.
You could connect with new:
Customers
Partners
Employees
Investors
/ It’s All Connected
Founders Live holds city competitions around the globe every week of the year.
⬇️
Each city winner competes in the Prime Time regional qualifiers for one of five spots in their relative regional finals in the global Prime Time tournament.
‼️
< This is where you come in >
The Pitch Challenge entry with the most votes in each region gets a slot in their region’s Prime Time finals!
⬇️
The winner of each of the five Prime Time regional finals will compete in the Prime Time Global Finals.
⬇️
The winner of Prime Time Global Finals is our global champion and wins the Grand Prize!
🎉 🏆🎉
Hustle Fund is an early stage venture firm that believes great founders can look like anyone and come from anywhere.
We invest in startups all over the world and we'd love to see what you're building.
“Preparing for a founders live pitch showed me how rich our idea was, but also how hard it was to explain in 99 seconds. The experience was transformative.”
— Founders Live presenter, Seattle