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Tiger Cage

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About the program · 2 linked sources

Tiger Cage is Auburn's annual business-idea competition for early-stage products and services. Teams pitch to judges acting as investors and compete for a share of $130,000 in startup capital from the Harbert College of Business, plus a $5,000 innovation award from the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management. Workshops and individual coaching are offered. Required materials are a 250-word summary, three to five slides, and a video of up to three minutes.

The page lists the next cycle as first rounds on November 16 and 17, 2026, quarterfinals on January 29, 2027, semifinals on February 26, 2027, and finals on April 9, 2027.

Also known as: Tiger Cage Business Idea Competition

How we know this: the figures on this page come from the linked sources (last verified 2026-10-08); what those sources do not state is left unknown.

Key numbers

Funding range

$40,000

Equity

Unknown

Application

Annual

Regional

Last activity

2026-10-08

High confidence

Keep this on your radar Deadline reminders ↓

Reminders

Tiger Cage

Get an email before a director-verified deadline for this program, this school, or this state. The program never sees your address.

Tiger Cage · Nov 16, 2026 · Unverified

Student experiences · Read or add a note

Student notes

Tiger Cage

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    Rating

    0/280

    Application and Timing

    See the 2026-2027 round dates above. Questions on the page are directed to the New Venture Accelerator. The personal email is omitted.

    Participants

    Individuals and teams of up to six. Eligible students are Auburn University, Auburn University at Montgomery undergraduate and graduate students, and Southern Union State Community College students, on campus or online, enrolled in Fall 2026 or graduating at the end of that semester. An active student or Fall 2026 graduate must lead the team. Recent alumni within one year of graduation may join. Teams with prior venture-capital, private-investor, or industry investment are ineligible. Previous first-place winners are ineligible.

    Funding and Equity

    Awards seed the submitted idea and are paid in stages against milestones and documentation. Pivots require approval from the New Venture Accelerator director. The page does not say Auburn takes equity.

    Published 2026 awards were $40,000, $30,000, $20,000, $15,000, and $5,000 for first through fifth place. The funding maximum stored here is that $40,000 first prize, not the $130,000 pool.

    Recent Activity

    The page publishes winners for 2022 through 2026 and the 2027 finals date.

    Known Startups or Winners

    2026 places named on the page: Sophie Sweets, first, $40,000, Sophie Snyder; Side Kit, second, $30,000, Bass Ninas; Builder Help, third, $20,000, Wesley Stallings; Glory EV Charging Solutions, fourth, $15,000, Olkaris Marandu; SCAP Athletics, fifth, $5,000, Adam Cardini.

    2025 first place was Protector Innovations, $30,000. 2024 first place was AbGlo, $30,000.

    Research gaps & things to verify

    Verification Gaps

    The page does not state whether staged payments are a grant or an equity purchase. This listing is researched from the public page and is not a school-verified profile.

    Program details

    Tiger Cage

    Additional research notesShow