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Charles and Janet Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition
Also known as: Forbes Pitch Competition
University of Rochester · Rochester, NY
Engineering-focused pitch competition administered by the Ain Center. Originally established 1989-1990 as the Dean's competition, renamed in 2010. At least half of each team must be Hajim School majors. Designed to encourage engineers to think beyond the lab and explore how designs become products and companies.
Quick fit check
- Offers direct funding
- No equity required
- Currently active
- Verified by research
Key numbers
Funding range
$1,500 – $6,000
Non Dilutive Grant
Equity
None
Application
Annual
School Specific
Last activity
2026-04-23
High confidence
Application and Timing
Annual spring cycle. Practice Pitch Day early April. Submission deadline mid-April. Final pitch event late April. Up to 8 finalists.
Participants
UR undergraduate and graduate students. At least half of team members must be declared Hajim School majors. Teams up to 5.
Funding and Equity
1st Place: $6,000. 2nd Place: $3,000. 3rd Place: $1,500. Non-dilutive. No equity taken.
Recent Activity
- April 2026: Competition held. MuLinx (1st), DroneGurus (2nd), Guidus Medical (3rd).
- April 2025: Glucose Guardian (1st), DroneGurus (2nd), MeDescover (3rd).
- 1989-present: Continuous operation for 35+ years.
Known startups and winners
Competition winners and notable student ventures from our research.
Convort
3rd place
placement
University of Rochester
2025 Rochester Mark Ain Business Model Competition third place.
DroneGurus
2nd place
placement
University of Rochester
2026 Rochester Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition second place.
Glucose Guardian
1st place
placement
University of Rochester
2025 Rochester Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition first place.
Guidus Medical
3rd place
placement
University of Rochester
2026 Rochester Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition third place.
MeDescover
3rd place
placement
University of Rochester
2025 Rochester Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition third place.
MuLinx
$6,000
prize won
University of Rochester
Engineering venture and first-place Forbes Competition winner (2026, $6K) at the University of Rochester. Founded by Hossein Abolhassani.
Scyntek
1st place
placement
University of Rochester
2025 Rochester Mark Ain Business Model Competition first place.
VivoFlux
2nd place
placement
University of Rochester
2025 Rochester Mark Ain Business Model Competition second place.
Historical winners (research notes)
- MuLinx (Hossein Abolhassani) — 1st Place 2026.
- DroneGurus (Guruansh Kohli, Nate Bogdan) — 2nd Place 2026, 2nd Place 2025.
- Guidus Medical (Tim Guida) — 3rd Place 2026.
- Glucose Guardian (Alexa Trzpis) — 1st Place 2025.
- MeDescover (Ahmet Gurcan, Joel DeVries, Jack Farnam) — 3rd Place 2025.
Verification Gaps
- Total applicants per cycle.
- Post-competition venture outcomes.
Charles and Janet Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition
Additional research notesShow
News & articles
News articles and official sources documenting Charles and Janet Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition at University of Rochester.
1 source
Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Official Pages
University of Rochester
University of Rochester
Ain Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Official Pages
Five captures: Ain Center home page, Forbes Competition page (2026 winners, prizes, schedule), Mark Ain Competition page ($13.5K, 2025 winners, revenue restriction), e5 Program page (tuition-free fifth year), and Ain Center student incubator at NextCorps.
Read on University of Rochester