Pitch CompetitionUniversity of Mississippi ↗

Edwin C. Gillespie Business Plan Competition

About the program · 2 linked sources

The Edwin C. Gillespie Business Plan Competition is the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship's marquee student event. The page says the 2026 final was April 10 at the Jackson Avenue Center. Everyone who enters can pitch. Preliminary pitches are 8 minutes plus 5 minutes of questions. Finals are 8 minutes plus 10 minutes of questions. Mentors are assigned after entry. The endowment honors Edwin C. Gillespie, a 1943 business graduate, and was established in 2006.

Also known as: Gillespie Business Plan 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

$20,000

Equity

Unknown

Application

Annual

Campus Wide

Last activity

2026-04-10

High confidence

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Student notes

Edwin C. Gillespie Business Plan Competition

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Application and Timing

For 2026, the priority deadline was Friday, March 6, and the final deadline was Friday, March 27. The next cycle's dates were not posted on the captured page.

Participants

The rules page says a team needs at least one current full-time Ole Miss undergraduate or graduate student in a responsible management role during the competition semester, and no more than five degree-seeking full-time student presenters. Non-students may be part of the venture but cannot pitch. The venture must be student-created and student-managed. New ventures licensing university technology may enter.

Funding and Equity

First place, the Melanie and Doug Wilson award, is $20,000 plus office space at Insight Park. Second, the Charles R. Doty award, is $10,000. Third, the Lynn and Ron Samuels award, is $5,000. Runners-up receive $1,250 each. Named additional awards on the page include four $5,000 awards and two $2,500 awards. The rules page says winners split over $50,000. The stored maximum is the $20,000 first prize, not the sum of every named award. The first 10 entrants can receive an extra $250 if they pitch and also enter LandShark Tank. Equity terms are not stated.

Recent Activity

The page lists 2026 winners and a history of winners back to 2005.

Known Startups or Winners

2026 first place: Munchies Chicken and Waffles, McClain Schieltz and Brett Doherty. 2026 Doty: Automatic AI, Julien Bourgeois. 2026 Colbert innovation award: Interbeat Industries, Garrett Bradham. 2026 Samuels and Francis awards include Marelle, Margaret Maturin. 2026 Rowell award: ParthenonPro, Lilly Ross. 2026 GenTeal consumer award: Garrett Wayne, Garrett Jones.

2025 first place on the page is Collegemate.

Research gaps & things to verify

Verification Gaps

Whether a team can win the first prize and a named special award in the same year is a listing on the page, not a statement that awards stack for one team. Equity is not stated. This listing is researched from public pages and is not a school-verified profile.

Program details