The annual Big Bang! Business Competition provides a forum for innovators to collaborate, develop and test business ideas—and compete for cash prizes.
Register for the Big Bang! on Startup Tree
StartupTree is our competition platform where you will register your team and submit all deliverables. Please note that we cannot accept emailed submissions.
Here you'll find everything you need to complete your deliverables for the Big Bang! Competition.
Before you begin, familiarize yourself with the competition details and specific instructions.
Big Bang! Overview and Guidelines
Meet a 2025 Big Bang! Winner: Buzzit
UC Davis students Parinita Gupta (right) and Cyrus Foroudian are two of the seven-member Buzzit team. Their Pinterest-inspired app allows students to search for a range of creative services provided by fellow students. Users can easily search for services, book appointments, and pay via the app, simplifying the process for both providers and customers.
Buzzit won the Social Entrepreneurship award in the 2025 Big Bang!. They plan to use the prize money for marketing on social media as well as creating a Buzzit ambassador program that will take advantage of community-driven growth.
Competition Deliverables: Templates + Examples
Download the templates and examples below as needed.
Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
Judging Criteria
Your entry to the UC Davis Big Bang! Business Competition will be judged on the following criteria:
| Problem/ Solution/ Value Proposition | Customer and Market | Business Model and Plan | Team Biographies | Customer Calls | Mentor Engagement | Two-minute Video Pitch | Presentation and Pitch |
| • Well-defined problem • Well-articulated solution • Clear Value Proposition | • Clearly defined customer • Well-understood marketplace • Well-structured go-to-market approach | • Well-defined revenue model • Clear financial assumptions (revenue, costs, timeline) • Clear understanding of revenue requirements and usage | • Relevant domain and functional expertise • Clear roles and responsibilities | • Points will be deducted for summaries that do not include the required number of calls | • Names and email addresses of at least two mentors • Three insights you've learned from them | • Well-presented pitch • Stays within the 2-minute maximum timeframe •Is creative and informative | • Well-crafted and structured presentation • Well-presented pitch • Clear call to action |
Big Bang! Competition Rounds
Round 1: Executive Summary / Team Member Biographies
Round 1 requires submission of a two-page executive summary and a maximum one-page team member biography (for each team member) submitted via Startup Tree by the deadline listed below. Refer to templates and guidelines provided.
• Round 1 Deadline—March 3, 2026: Submissions received after the deadline will not be accepted. This is a required submission to advance to the next round.
• Top teams advance to Round 2.
Round 2: Semifinals
The top teams advanced to Round 2 must submit the following deliverables via Startup Tree. Deadline April 6, 2026. Refer to templates and guidelines provided above.
• Two-Minute video pitch
• Mentor engagement information
• Detailed pitch deck (10-12 slides)
• Summary report of 20 customer call interviews (maximum five pages)
Submissions received after the deadline will not be accepted. This is a required submission to advance to the next round.
Top teams advance to Round 3.
Round 3 teams have the valuable opportunity to receive presentation feedback from mentors in an OPTIONAL "dry run" practice session rotation. Date: May 4, 2026 from 4-8 PM. The Dry Run Sessions will take place over Zoom.
Round 3: Finals
The top teams advanced to Round 3 must submit the following deliverables. Deadline: May 11, 2026 by 1 PM. Refer to templates and guidelines provided.
• Presentation pitch deck (10 slides)
• Additional 10 customer call summary (maximum three-page summary)
Finalist teams present to a live panel of external judges on May 14, 2026. We will announce award winners at the Big Bang! Awards Ceremony on May 19, 2026. Note: all finalist teams must attend the final judging and awards ceremony in person at UC Davis.
Questions?
Please check out our FAQ page. If your question isn't answered there, email [email protected].