VetsinTech Pitch Contest 2026 — Live at a16z 🇺🇸
Five veteran-built startups. $40,000 on the line. One night at a16z.
On August 20, the veteran tech community takes over the San Francisco office of Andreessen Horowitz for VetsinTech's annual Pitch Contest, sponsored by JPMorgan Chase.
Five finalist companies, all founded by veterans and military spouses, will pitch live to a judging panel of venture capital and technology leaders from the VetsinTech partner ecosystem. Then we do what our community does best: pack the room, back our own, and build the network that gets the next company funded.
🏆 The Prizes
🥇 First place: $25,000
🥈 Second place: $10,000
🥉 Third place: $5,000
No equity taken. No strings. Capital straight to veteran founders.
🎖️ Who this event is for
This event is exclusively for the military-connected community — veterans and military spouses.
This is not a general tech networking event. Every person in the room raised their hand to serve (or held it down at home while their family did). If that's you: this room was built for you. Registration is approval-required and we verify military connection.
Founders, operators, engineers, transitioning service members, milspouse entrepreneurs, veteran VCs — this is your night.
⚡ Why you should be in the room
The venue: The firm that defined modern venture capital, hosting our community on their home turf.
The backing: JPMorgan Chase — one of the country's biggest champions of veteran hiring, veteran small business lending, and military family economic mobility — is putting real money behind veteran founders.
The room: VCs, operators, founders, and the strongest concentration of Bay Area veteran tech talent assembled this year. If you're building, hiring, job hunting, or investing, your next key relationship is in this room.
The mission: This is the flagship entrepreneurship event of VetsinTech's year — and the relaunch moment for our San Francisco chapter. Come be part of it from day one!
JUDGES:
Steve Kiser, Veteran Venture Fund
Jack Garza, JP Morgan
Ernie Bio, Forgepoint Capital
🚀 Meet the Finalists
Finalists are being announced soon — check back, this section will update.
(Submissions are closed for 2026 — but if you're a veteran founder, register anyway. The people who fund next year's winners are in this room.)
About VetsinTech
VetsinTech is the leading national nonprofit connecting veterans and military spouses to the technology ecosystem through Education, Employment, and Entrepreneurship. With chapters nationwide and deep roots in Silicon Valley, VetsinTech builds high-impact pathways into tech — ensuring those who served are equipped to lead in the innovation economy.
About JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase is one of the world's leading financial institutions, with a longstanding commitment to the veteran and military community — from veteran hiring initiatives to small business lending to entrepreneurship programs that have helped thousands of veterans and military spouses launch and grow companies. A proud and natural partner in this work.
Questions? Want to get involved with the VetsinTech San Francisco chapter? Reach out — we're building something big here.