2026 Food Biz Con Pitch Competition
March 6, 2026
K-State Olathe Campus
If you own a food-based business in the Kansas City metro and want to shoot your shot at winning cash for your business, this is your chance to pitch it “Shark Tank” style to a panel of judges as part of our Annual Food Business Conference the first week of March. Six finalists will pitch live, and the top three winners will walk away with cash and prizes:
- 1st Place - $5,000
- 2nd Place - $3,000
- 3rd Place - $1,000
Want to Participate?
Eligible businesses from the Kansas City metropolitan area operating a licensed, food-based business earning between $250.00 - $100,000.00 in gross annual revenue. Businesses operating under cottage law are not eligible to compete.
THIS IS A BI-LINGUAL (ENGLISH AND SPANISH) PITCH COMPETITION. ALL JUDGES AND SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE BI-LINGUAL.
In conjunction with the competition, Square One is also presenting a series of programs to help prepare for this event: How to Successfully Pitch Your Food Biz and Cómo Presentar con Éxito tu Negocio de Alimentos on Zoom. These are not required for finalists to attend but are provided to assist throughout and are open to the public.
This work was funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of Mid-Continent Public Library.
Submissions for the Food Biz Con Pitch Competition are now closed.