Orange Tank Pitch Competition
The Whitman School of Management’s eleventh annual Orange Tank business pitch competition will be held on Nov. 6, 2026, at 3 p.m. in the Helaine and Marvin Lender Auditorium.
Thanks to the generosity of the Lobdell Family, current students and alumni entrepreneurs will pitch their ventures to a panel of esteemed judges, competing for a share of the $35,000 in cash prizes. Monetary awards will be given to the ventures finishing in first ($25,000), second ($7,500) and third ($2,500) place.
Important Dates for Orange Tank 2026
- Applications are due by Monday, Sept. 28, 2026
- The top 5 teams will be notified by Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026
- Pitch decks must be submitted (finalist only) by Monday, Nov. 2, 2026
- The Final Pitch Competition will take place on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at the Whitman School
- Click this link to submit your application here: https://syracuseuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cTruoLBTqmRQKu9
Important Notes:
- Previous Orange Tank applicants may apply to pitch in 2026 as long as your venture has not won a cash prize in a prior Orange Tank competition.
- Need support? The Couri Hatchery is offering office hours Tuesday through Thursday from 1–3 p.m. to help you refine your executive summary and pitch deck.
Ventures (both student and alumni) will be selected from the applicants to pitch at the competition. Those chosen will have five minutes to pitch, followed by five minutes of Q&A from the judges, who will be looking for:
- Market potential
- Differentiation and economic feasibility
- Ability to protect intellectual property, technology
- Sound execution strategy
- Scalability of the business
- Proposed use of finances
- Expertise and abilities of the founder(s)
- Quality of pitch
If you would like to be a part of our Orange Tank viewing audience please register here. Registration to watch the competition via Zoom will be coming soon.