Horizon Manufacturing cup

STARTUPS WANTED!
The Horizon Manufacturing Cup is a fast-pitch competition to fund your ideas for new critical hardware, materials, and manufacturing technology.

Startup Fast-pitch competition

Turn Your Blueprints into prototypes

$3 Million in total prizes

$1 Million Grand Prize

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR THE HORIZON CUP

PHASE 1: ONLINE APPLICATION

  • Applications must be received by 11:59 PM ET on Saturday, September 26, 2026, to be considered.

  • Applicants will be notified on Friday, October 2, 2026, if they have been selected to advance to PHASE 2.

PHASE 2: IN-PERSON FAST-PITCH COMPETITION

  • A select group of applicants will be invited to present their ideas live and in-person at the fast-pitch competition in Bloomfield, Indiana, on October 20, 2026.

  • Participating companies will present their proposals to a panel of judges.

  • Winners will be announced on the day of the competition.

GUIDELINES FOR PITCH DECK MATERIALS

  • Pitch decks must be 10 slides or fewer.

  • Pitch decks should cover core company details, including mission statement, relevant operational metrics (revenue, customers, leadership team), and Technology Readiness Level (TRL).

  • Pitch decks must highlight the core technology, market opportunity, and applications for the defense industrial base, as well as potential dual-use applications in other commercial sectors.

COMPETITION DETAILS AND ELIGIBILITY

  • Citizenship & Location: Applicants must be U.S. citizens in good standing, operating a U.S.-based business.

  • Company Stage: Companies must be Seed stage or later.

  • Hardware Requirement: Submissions must feature a physical, hardware, or material aspect. While software can be a part of the overall offering or technology, pure software applications without a physical aspect will not be eligible for awards.

  • Defense Relevance: Technology must have an application to support the research, development, demonstration, testing, scale-up, or transition of technologies, processes, components, materials, or systems relevant to the domestic U.S. defense industrial base.

  • Dual-Use Potential: Additional consideration will be given to technologies with broad applications across multiple industries and sectors, including commercial sectors.

  • Location: If selected for PHASE 2, companies must pitch live and in-person to be eligible for an award.

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