Youth Entrepreneurship Experience
The Youth Summit Pitch Competition is presented by UNCW in partnership with UNCW's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). The program offers an incredible opportunity for high school thinkers, dreamers, and innovators to explore their inner entrepreneurial spirit and positions UNCW as the entrepreneurship hub for the region.
The competition challenges students to work with like-minded thinkers to develop creative and innovative solutions to solve real-world problems. This competition is an opportunity for students to develop skills that will contribute to their future success. Win or lose, this unique experience will be a valuable part of any resume or college application.
The CIE Youth Pitch Summit Pitch Competition features some of the most ambitious high school students interested in entrepreneurship, innovation, and developing business ideas.
Next Summit
Applications are open until September 25, 2026 at 5 p.m.
All applications received will be reviewed for feedback, including feedback by UNCW Entrepreneurship students.
Six finalists will be selected by a committee. Finalists will be notified by October 13, 2026.
Finalists are expected to attend two workshop sessions:
- October 20, 2026 4:00-5:00 p.m. - Virtual workshop
- October 27, 2026 3:30-5:30 p.m. - In person workshop at UNCW CIE (803 S College Rd, Wilmington)
Finalists will present their business pitches at the NC IDEA ECOSYSTEM Summit on November 13, 2026 at Lumina. Additional information about the conference.
Prizes
Five awards will be presented during the Youth Summit Pitch Competition:
- 1st Prize - $1,000
- 2nd Prize - $500
- 3rd Prize - $250
- Audience Favorite - $250
- Teacher of 1st Prize Winner - $250
Past Years
Past Stories of Success
- We had 198 attendees at the 2022 YEPex Youth Summit and 270 attendees in 2023.
- We had 22 submissions from 5 different schools!
- Anna Knorr from FutureSeed (CFA) will be attending UNCW after graduation.
- Samin Bhan of LookUpp (Hoggard) plans to continue pursuing his idea after receiving over 300 sign-ups in his school within 3 days of launch.
Participant Feedback
“Thank you for hosting this!” - Live Oak Bank Employee
“I just got done watching the YEPex Entrepreneurship Competition. Thank you for putting this all together.” - CTE Director of NHCS
“Thanks for all that you do at CIE. I've finally been able to get an entrepreneur course to run at our school so I look forward to being able to utilize your center more often next year, especially with hope of less COVID concerns.” - Cape Fear Academy teacher.
“This experience was amazing. I learned so much. Thank you to the coaches for the awesome feedback!” - Participant
Please see How to Participate and Competition Criteria for more details