Northern Michigan will take center stage in the state’s startup ecosystem later this month with two major pitch competitions happening back-to-back during the Michigan Outdoor Summit at Timber Ridge Resort.

On Tuesday, September 30, Traverse City will host the PitchMI 2025 CleanTech + Outdoor Innovation event, the second in an unprecedented statewide series of four consecutive, $250,000 pitch competitions. The recently announced PitchMI 2025 is led by the MSU Research Foundation and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and supported by regional partners like Grove Community Incubator, among others.

Founders will compete regionally for $250,000 and the chance to advance to the statewide $1 million championship planned for April 2026. Each event is open to startups statewide and selected founders will be placed in the host city that best aligns with their company’s focus. In addition to the Northern Michigan event, the PitchMI 2025 series will include pitch events in Grand Rapids, focused on healthcare and life sciences; Detroit, focused on mobility, defense and advanced manufacturing; and Ann Arbor, focused on AI and software.

Then on Wednesday, October 1, the focus shifts to Pitch + Pine, a new outdoor-inspired competition hosted by Grove Community Incubator in partnership with Land of Outsiders. Unlike traditional pitch events, during Pitch + Pine Michigan outdoor industry entrepreneurs will set up interactive booths, showcase products, and connect directly with judges and attendees. Judges will include Eoin Comerford, former CEO of Moosejaw, and Katie Cruickshank, VP at Outside Magazine, along with other outdoor industry leaders. The winner will receive a prize package including an all-expense paid trip to Switchback 2026, the US’s fastest growing outdoor retailer expo.

These competitions also align with a local milestone: the 10th anniversary of TC New Tech, Traverse City’s flagship quarterly pitch night, now hosted by 20 Fathoms. Since its 2015 founding, more than 275 people have pitched at TCNewTech and $85,000 in pitch prizes have been awarded.

For more information or to RSVP to attend the compeitions, click here.