2025 GEA Alumni Pitch Competition

Participating in the GEA Pitch Competition offers Georgetown entrepreneurs a unique set of opportunities to gain financial backing, recognition, and valuable connections within the Georgetown community:

1. Opportunity to Win [or Accept] the GAIN Investment Prize: The winner of the pitch competition can accept an investment prize consisting of individual contributions from GAIN members (amount will be confirmed in January 2025).

2. Recognition as a Finalist or Winner: Finalists and winners earn the distinction of being selected from among Georgetown’s entrepreneurial community.

3. Subsidized Accommodations at John Carroll Weekend: Finalists receive subsidized hotel accommodations to attend John Carroll Weekend for one night.

4. Becoming a GAIN portfolio company: GAIN portfolio companies are promoted through GAIN’s online channels and receive other opportunities for networking and promotion.

5. Exclusive Access to Top Alumni and Investors: Finalists present their business to Georgetown’s most influential alumni and investors, opening doors to partnerships, investments, and mentorship. Finalists also receive invitations to attend all John Carroll Weekend events, including an exclusive dinner for entrepreneurs and investors, creating additional opportunities to build valuable connections.

6. Guidance from Expert Mentors: Finalists and semi-finalists get the opportunity to work with hand-selected mentors who provide feedback to refine pitches and support business growth.

7. Guaranteed Opportunity to Present to GAIN Investors: All finalists, including the winner, receive a guaranteed spot in a GAIN virtual pitch cycle a few weeks after the competition. Typically, only a select few companies from a large applicant pool are given this opportunity. This allows finalists to present their business to the entire GAIN network, giving investors the chance to consider additional investments beyond the prize amount.

8. GUAA Social Media Promotion: GUAA will promote your company through its social media channels, creating visibility within Georgetown’s extensive alumni network.

These benefits provide financial support, exposure, mentorship, and connections that can aid your entrepreneurial journey beyond the competition.

We are sector agnostic, but do bear in mind that we will consider industry dynamics when evaluating the return potential of any particular investment. However, we are not a sector specialist network, so it can be more difficult for us to evaluate companies that require expert knowledge.

While it isn’t necessary to excel in each one of the criteria listed below, the closer that your company aligns with these categories, the better chance of being selected to present as a finalist.   We are always open to explanations as to how we should think about your application – more information always helps us to make a better evaluation.  

• Traction: Generally, companies that have revenue will be favored, especially recurring revenue that demonstrates there is product/market fit. However, we will certainly consider companies that have an MVP with significant customer data showing a willingness to pay. In addition, we are open to pre-revenue companies that can demonstrate enormous potential in one of our other criteria.

• Market Size & Business Model: Significant market size (minimum c. $100 million for SOM - serviceable obtainable market); attractive unit economics and a credible ability to scale the business are all desirable.

  • Please make sure to include plausible projections that demonstrate an attractive potential return to investors.

• Common Good: Companies that have an impact on, or are solving a problem for the common good will be given special consideration. 

• Georgetown Connection: To be eligible a Georgetown alumnus/a must be a founder, senior executive, board member, or significant investor who must be willing to be the pitch presenter during the competition in Philadelphia.

In 2019, GAIN pooled their capital for the first time to contribute to an investment prize for the winner of the Alumni Pitch Competition. This year’s competition marks the sixth year the competition will include a GAIN prize opportunity. Previous pitch competition winners received cash prizes from sponsors.