Competition overview
Delivered by Innovation Factory, in collaboration with the Synapse Consortium, this competition assists innovators, scientists, and researchers to bring their ideas to market, increase revenues, leverage intellectual property, attract investment and create jobs.
Innovator finalists receive training, mentorship, and a chance to pitch and compete for up to $50,000 cash and in-kind prizes!
Synapse Pitch Competition
By the numbers
Competition phases
Phase One
Team Formation
Interested participants will complete a short application and finalists will be notified in December of their acceptance into the competition. Innovators and students will form teams at our Meet & Greet in January.
Phase Two
Commercialization Plan
Teams will receive training and mentorship in order to submit a 10-15 page Commercialization Plan, outlining detailed steps needed to commercialize their innovation, and a timeline to market in February.
Phase Three
Investor Pitch
Teams will attend training to develop and deliver a 5-minute investor pitch, including the components of a pitch, delivery methods, and addressing questions in March.
Final Phase
Final Pitch & Showcase
The top-ranked teams will deliver a business pitch, competing for cash and in-kind services from our generous partners. All finalists will present a poster and have the opportunity to network with top industry leaders in the life science sector in March.
Competition Schedule
September 29, 2025: Applications Open
November 9, 2025: Applications Close
December 2025: Finalists Notified
January 7, 2026: Networking & Team Formation
January 15, 2025: Commercialization Plan Training
January 21, 2026: Regulatory Training
Jan – Feb 2026: Business Advisory Meetings
February 11, 2026: Commercialization Plan Due
February 18, 2026: Investor Pitch Training
March 5, 2026: Elevator Pitch & Poster Due
March 25, 2026: Synapse Pitch Competition Showcase
* Dates subject to change
Questions about the competition? Email [email protected]
About Innovation Factory
The Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition is delivered by Innovation Factory, a business accelerator dedicated to helping businesses launch, scale, and succeed. We provide start-ups and scaling companies with advisory services, training, mentorship, and strategic connections to help bring disruptive technologies to market, leverage intellectual property, increase revenues, attract investment and create jobs.
