Big Bang! Business Competition
About the program · 1 linked sources
Big Bang! is the Child Institute's business competition for early-stage ventures. Teams move through written rounds and a live final. Workshops are free and are open even to people who do not enter the competition.
Also known as: Big Bang, UC Davis Big Bang
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
$25,000
Equity
Varies by investment
Application
Annual
Regional
Last activity
2026-05-21
High confidence
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Reminders
Big Bang! Business Competition
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Student notes
Big Bang! Business Competition
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Application and Timing
The 2026 page lists Round 2 on April 6, 2026, finals materials on May 11, 2026, final presentations on May 14, 2026, and the awards ceremony on May 19, 2026. Entry for 2026 is closed. The page says 2027 entries open in December 2026.
Participants
At least one founder must be affiliated with a California institution of higher education as a student, faculty member, staff member, or alumnus. The 2026 first-place team was made up of UC Davis undergraduates. The competition is not limited to UC Davis.
Funding and Equity
The prizes page lists a $25,000 first-place award and six $10,000 sector awards, and it says the competition awards over $100,000 plus residencies. A May 21, 2026 news story says the ceremony awarded almost $100,000, described as $97,000 in grants and startup residencies, including three residencies valued at $4,000. Equity terms are not stated. The recorded maximum is the published first-place award.
Recent Activity
The awards story is dated May 21, 2026. The competition page was still live on October 8, 2026.
Known Startups or Winners
First Bite, an all-undergraduate UC Davis team building a device to secure breathing tubes for intubated infants, won the $25,000 first-place prize. The news story says six sector winners received $10,000 each. Those team names were not in the captured story text.
Research gaps & things to verify
Verification Gaps
The prizes page says over $100,000. The May 21, 2026 story says almost $100,000 and $97,000. Sector-winner names were not captured.
Additional research notesShow
News & articles
News articles and official sources documenting Big Bang! Business Competition at University of California, Davis.
1 source
