• Monday, May 12: Applications Close
• Thursday, May 22: External Committee Reviews Applications
• Monday, June 23: Finalists and Alternates Notified
• Wednesday, July 2: Coaches Assigned to Individual Companies
• August 13, 14, 15: Pre-Pitch Practice
• Tuesday, September 23: RALLY Pitch & Investor Happy Hour
• Wednesday, September 24: Pitch Competition
• Thursday, September 25: Awards Ceremony

All Pitch Competition applicants consent and agree to the following Rules and Criteria to be eligible for consideration. Any company may apply and have the opportunity to compete, provided they meet the Rules and Criteria below. Please note that it is possible for a company to win the competition and not receive any investment. To be eligible for investment, the company must meet all Rules, Criteria, and Investment Requirements. Any investment is contingent upon due diligence and is at the sole discretion of all related RALLY competition hosts and investors.

• Companies may only enter one product or service in the Pitch Competition.
• The submitted product or service must fall under one of the RALLY Innovation Studio Tracks - Ag & FoodTech, HardTech, Healthcare, Software or SportsTech.
• Companies may only compete in one Innovation Studio Track, but RALLY may suggest an alternative track if appropriate.
• The Company’s annual revenue must be less than $5M.
• The Company must not have raised more than $10M in total funding (excluding non-dilutive funding).
• The company must have a total addressable market (TAM) of more than $500M.
• By entering the competition, applicants, finalists, and winners permit the use of their company name, logo, and executive summary by the RALLY Organizing Team.
• Finalists shall not talk to any judges prior to the Pitch Competition Kickoff Reception on September 23, 2025.
• Pitch Deck - Applicants and Finalists understand they must submit their pitch decks in a similar fashion to this format.  
• Video - Applicants must submit a 2-minute video along with their pitch deck that includes their elevator pitch, problem and solution, team overview, ideal customer profile, traction, and capital formation overview.  The video does not need to be professionally produced; content quality is prioritized over production value
• Applicants understand they will be scored based on the following five criteria, as applicable, by the Review Committee and Judges:
  • Market
    • Clear pain
    • Clear customer-centric solution
    • Proven market demand for the stage of the company
  • Entrepreneur & Team
    • Demonstrate the right team to solve the pain
    • Ability to sell & build the product including advisors if appropriate
    • Demonstrate creativity, grit, and resilience
  • Legal
    • Legal structure
    • Equity raised to date, debt, convertible notes, and last post-money valuation
    • Option pool awarded versus outstanding
  • Financial
    • Business model
    • Cash runway
    • Believable financial forecast
  • Operational
    • Usage of modern technology to build the product
    • Clear GTM strategy and ICP
    • Users, revenue, customers

Note: Companies with products that require regulatory approval should outline their scientific hypotheses, development timelines, IP strategies, regulatory pathways, capitalization plans, and commercialization plans in the respective section above.

Verticals That are Specifically Not Eligible to Apply:

• Real estate and real estate development
• Insurance
• Professional services provided by an accountant, a lawyer, or a physician
• Retail businesses with brick-and-mortar
• Oil and gas
• Investment vehicles that invest in securities of other businesses
• Gaming and gambling
• Single-purpose entertainment or events

Rules & Criteria may be revised at any time at the sole discretion of all related RALLY  competition hosts and investors. These Rules and Criteria supersede any other written or verbal conversations or representations.

Award of any investment to RALLY Pitch Competition winners, up to $1M for each studio winner, is subject to final due diligence and agreeable terms by the investors in their sole discretion. Pending the stage and traction of a given company an amount less than $1M may be proposed to be invested into a studio winner.

Any RALLY Pitch Competition investment requires a minimum 1:1 investment, which may be achieved by either non-RALLY-related investors brought forth by the company or by RALLY-related investors brought forth through syndication with other investors.

Investment is anticipated to be in the form of either:

1. Equity; We will ask each company to indicate pre and post-money of the latest round as well as the desired pre-money of the current round and the total being raised, or
2. Convertible Note; with market terms - 8% interest, 20% discount, and valuation cap. 

Note: SAFE’s, SEALs, or other non-market investment vehicles will not be considered.

Companies must commit to establishing a Significant Presence in Indiana:

“Significant presence” is defined by at least one (1) physical office (or active co-working space membership) AND a minimum of one (1) full-time C-level executive or founder for a minimum of one year within the geographic borders of Indiana or a mutually agreeable plan to do so within a specified timeframe.

NOTE: It is possible that a Pitch Competition Finalist could win their respective studio track and not be successful in receiving any investment.

Investment Requirements may be revised at any time at the sole discretion of all related RALLY  Pitch Competition hosts and investors. These Investment Requirements supersede any other written or verbal conversations or representations.