Welcome to the Randall Family Big Idea Competition!
February through early April
This competition is an experience-based learning opportunity for Pitt students and postdocs with Big Ideas who enjoy working in diverse teams to bring those ideas to life. It is open to all Pitt undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs across all schools and departments. This competition spans February through April of each year and awards monetary prizes to students with the most startup potential, including a grand prize of $25,000! Since its inception in 2009, the competition has attracted hundreds of interdisciplinary teams seeking to bring their Big Ideas to market.
Check back in January 2024 for the RFBIC 2024 application!
Meet the 2023 Randall Family Big Idea Competition Winning Teams
Who can apply?
This competition is open to all Pitt students, undergraduate through postdoc. UPMC-affiliated medical residents are able to participate as well.
Teams must consist of at least two Pitt students and/or postdocs. Students from other institutions may participate as part of a team but cannot receive monetary prizes.
Applicants must upload a mandatory 1-2 minute elevator pitch as part of their application.
- Elevator pitches should be a Twitter-length version of your idea. Communicate your idea at a high-level overview, and craft your pitch in a way that captures the audience’s attention and leaves them wanting more.
All participants (including team leads and all participating team members) MUST apply prior to the deadline. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
Teams will be notified of acceptance status the week of TBD.
Having trouble assembling a team? Try our TeamFinder tool.
Click to view last year’s Randall Family Big Idea Competition winning teams.
RFBIC 2024 Informational Presentation
Watch our RFBIC 2024 informational video as Jess Malandro, our Manager of Student Programs & Operations, covers the ins and outs of this year’s Randall competition & how you can win the $25,000 grand prize as a Pitt student.
The RFBIC 2024 informational video will be available to watch by January 2024.
What previous participants have to say about the Randall Family Big Idea Competition:
TBD
Competition Resources for RFBIC 2024 Participating Teams
The Big Idea Center has provided a resource library for RFBIC 2024 participating teams which includes helpful tools specific to the Randall Family Big Idea Competition. To access the RFBIC 2024 team resources, please click here.*
*Note: The RFBIC team resources page is password-protected. You will need to enter the password provided by the Big Idea Center staff which can be found in your RFBIC 2024 acceptance email.