Pitch:90 — Rhode Island .edu Pitch Competition
Pitch:90 — Rhode Island .edu Pitch Competition
Presented by RI Bio, in partnership with Ocean State Labs — Powered by Portal Innovations — and Adler Pollock & Sheehan.
About Pitch:90: Ninety seconds. One idea. No slides, no props, no follow-up questions.
Pitch:90 is a fast-paced competition in which student researchers and student founders from Rhode Island's colleges and universities have just 90 seconds to explain their work to a panel of venture professionals and a live audience. Being able to describe what you do — clearly, concisely, and in a way that makes people lean in — is one of the most useful skills a researcher or founder can build. Pitch:90 is a chance to practice it in front of the people who fund, build, and staff Rhode Island's life sciences ecosystem.
The evening pairs the competition with the thing that makes it worth showing up for: the room. Students pitch alongside biotech and medtech professionals, pharmaceutical and research-institution scientists, startup founders, investors, attorneys, and service providers from across the region. Complimentary beverages, light food, and an open reception at Portal Pours before and after the pitches.
Who can compete
Currently enrolled undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, or professional students at a Rhode Island higher-education institution — or graduates who completed their program within the last 12 months.
Recent graduates should be prepared to show proof of graduation date if asked.
Research, technology, or venture concepts relevant to life sciences, health, or the bioeconomy — including biotech, medtech, diagnostics, digital health, research tools, and adjacent areas.
Individual presenters or teams. For teams, one person pitches.
No company formation, funding, or IP filing required. Early-stage research is welcome.
Format and rules
90 seconds, hard stop. The clock is visible and enforced.
No slides. No deck, no static image, no video. Just you and the microphone.
No props or demos. Bring them to the reception instead — that's where people will actually get to handle them.
No Q&A. Judges score what they hear in the 90 seconds. There is no follow-up round to rescue an unclear pitch, so the pitch has to stand on its own.
How to enter
Complete the contestant registration form:
Submit a short description of your research or venture (roughly 150 words) and your institution and program.
Selected contestants are notified by 10/20/2026 and receive the run-of-show and timing rules.
Judges: Pitches are scored by members of the local chapter of Girls Into VC, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing young women into venture capital. Girls Into VC runs a 10-week fellowship — twice yearly, in spring and fall — that takes college students and recent graduates through the fundamentals of venture and the startup ecosystem, combining a structured workbook curriculum, weekly group discussions, and a capstone investment simulation in which participants draft a real investment memo and term sheet.
Sponsors
A special thank you to RI Bio's annual sponsors — VWR (part of Avantor), Adler Pollock & Sheehan, and isgenuity LLC— for their continued support of Rhode Island's life sciences community.