Programs · Cohorts & Competitions
Dare to Dream Pitch Contest
From a first idea to a funded studio — find the program that fits where you are. Every program below is run from the Hub in downtown Portsmouth.
2027 Competition · Letters of Intent Due November 1, 2026 · Space is limited · Reach out today!
The competition
Dare to Dream gives area high school students the full founder experience: create a business idea, pressure-test it, and take the stage to pitch it to a panel of business experts — with thousands of dollars in prize money on the line.
Along the way, students meet the entrepreneurial heroes of our own region — and are encouraged to dream of becoming one. Many alumni of the competition are now studying business, running ventures, or building careers right here in Appalachia.
A Dare to Dream representative is available to help every team prepare — from first idea to final pitch.
Dream up a business. Pitch it like a founder.
Road to the finals · 2026–27
Four rounds, one big night
Letter of Intent
Schools and teams raise their hands. One short form gets you in the game.
Final Competition at the Hub
6 p.m. at the Kricker Innovation Hub, 221 Chillicothe Street, Portsmouth. Check-in at 5:30. Judges, community, and the prize checks.
In-school competitions
Each school runs its own round and picks the team that will represent it.
Ohio & Kentucky semifinals
School champions face off in state semifinal rounds to earn a spot on the big stage.
2026 winners
In 2026, $31,000 went home with student founders
Honeysuckle HavenWheelersburg High School
Stride RightRussell Area Technology Center
Fabulous FudgeSchool — TBC
PurposeSchool — TBC
BEADBoyd County
The tradition runs deep. Back in 2019, fourteen teams from two states pitched for a $34,000 pool — and Portsmouth High’s Yak Rak took home $7,750 for a vehicle rack built for kayaks and paddle boards.
Part of Activate Appalachia
The first step in a pipeline built for Appalachian founders
Dare to Dream is the K–12 gateway into Activate Appalachia — the initiative from Shawnee State’s Kricker Innovation Hub and Lute School of Business to expand proven entrepreneurship programs across an 18-county Appalachian Ohio region.
Students who pitch here can keep going: Ignite’s small business boot camp, Startup Weekend, and the ShawneeXP tech accelerator are all part of the same family — built on the belief that Appalachian identity is a source of professional opportunity, civic strength, and Ohio pride.
Past five years, across the Hub’s three-county service area.
For teachers & schools
Three easy ways to field a team
There is no obligation or cost to schools or students who participate — and a Dare to Dream representative can visit to help your team get pitch-ready. Write to Dare2Dream@shawnee.edu.
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A class project
Led by a teacher — build the business idea into your curriculum and let the classroom pick its champion.
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An after-school team
Led by a volunteer coach — a club, a career-tech program, or any group that wants to build something.
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A student-formed team
Three to five students with an idea and the nerve to pitch it. That’s all it takes.
2026 sponsors
The prize money is real — because these folks make it real
Want your name on the 2027 prize pool? Become a sponsor →
Glockner Enterprises KFB the Better Bank Appalachian Investors Alliance Lawrence County Economic Development Corp Commercial Bank of Grayson Foundation Tom Wolf McDonald’s VanArt Properties Giovanni’s · Ashland, KY
Bring Dare to Dream to your school
Letters of Intent for the 2027 competition are due in November 2026. It costs nothing — and your students could leave with startup money and a founder’s confidence.
Questions about eligibility or formats? Dare2Dream@shawnee.edu