{"id":3199,"date":"2025-12-19T15:40:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/?p=3199"},"modified":"2025-12-20T08:55:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T08:55:35","slug":"nbif-breakthru-startup-pitch-competition-2026-up-to-200000-in-equity-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/?p=3199","title":{"rendered":"NBIF breakthru Startup Pitch Competition 2026 (up to $200,000 in equity investment)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><div id=\"tdi_1\" class=\"tdc-row\"><div class=\"vc_row tdi_2  wpb_row td-pb-row\" >\n<style scoped>\n\/* custom css - generated by TagDiv Composer *\/\n\n\/* custom css - generated by TagDiv Composer *\/\n.tdi_2,\r\n                .tdi_2 .tdc-columns{\r\n                    min-height: 0;\r\n                }\n<\/style><div class=\"vc_column tdi_4  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<style scoped>\n\/* custom css - generated by TagDiv Composer *\/\n\n\/* custom css - generated by TagDiv Composer *\/\n.tdi_4{\r\n                    vertical-align: baseline;\r\n                }\n<\/style><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\" >[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"post-169814\">\n<div>\n<p><strong>Deadline: November 28, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Applications for the NBIF breakthru Startup Pitch Competition 2026 are now open. breakthru is New Brunswick\u2019s premier startup competition \u2014 where bold ideas turn into real companies. Hosted by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF), breakthru connects entrepreneurs with the capital, mentorship, and exposure needed to launch and scale game-changing ventures right here at home.<\/p>\n<p>Participants get hands-on support and mentorship every step of the way: from developing a winning business plan to perfecting your pitch. Learn directly from experts, gain the tools and guidance to refine your venture, and get investment-ready before you even step on stage.<\/p>\n<p>This province-wide challenge offers up to $200,000 in equity investment and in-kind support to help founders take their ideas to market. breakthru brings together business, academia, and government to spark entrepreneurship and grow the next generation of New Brunswick innovators.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Three companies\u00a0will be selected to enter due diligence with NBIF for an equity investment \u2014 meaning NBIF would invest capital in exchange for ownership in the company. Each investment provides the startup with the critical funding and support needed to execute on its business objectives.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Grand Prize |\u00a0$100,000 equity investment by NBIF<\/li>\n<li>Runners-up x 2 |\u00a0$50,000 equity investment by NBIF<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Eligibility<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Participants Criteria<\/em><\/p>\n<p>breakthru is open to individuals or teams ready to launch a bold, new business in New Brunswick. Each participant can only participate in one submission and must meet the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be 19 years of age or older as of Friday, November 28, 2025;<\/li>\n<li>Be a resident of New Brunswick, or part of a team where at least one active member is a resident who will hold a minimum 51% ownership of the proposed venture;<\/li>\n<li>Be legally eligible to start and operate a business in New Brunswick; and<\/li>\n<li>Be ready and committed to developing and growing your new company right here in New Brunswick.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Venture Stage Criteria<\/em><\/p>\n<p>To qualify, proposed business ventures must:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be in the early or pre-seed stage of development \u2014 meaning the business is still in concept, prototype, or market validation phase and has not yet raised significant external capital or achieved meaningful commercial revenue;<\/li>\n<li>Have no significant operating history;<\/li>\n<li>Plan to establish and maintain headquarters and operations in New Brunswick;<\/li>\n<li>Be focused on creating an innovative product or service; and<\/li>\n<li>Be prepared to protect your intellectual property, where applicable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Business Criteria<\/em><\/p>\n<p>To be eligible, your submission should show that your business idea has:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A strong business case \u2014 your idea makes sense and can work.<\/li>\n<li>Real market demand \u2014 customers want what you\u2019re offering, and there\u2019s room to grow.<\/li>\n<li>Financial and commercial potential \u2014 your plan can make money and be sustainable.<\/li>\n<li>A clear innovative edge \u2014 something new, better, or different from what\u2019s out there.<\/li>\n<li>A competitive advantage \u2014 why your business can stand out and stay ahead.<\/li>\n<li>A capable team \u2014 people with the right experience to make it happen.<\/li>\n<li>Economic impact for New Brunswick \u2014 your business can create value, jobs, or growth in the province.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Application<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Complete the short online application\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nbif-finb.smapply.io\/prog\/nbif_breakthru_startup_pitch_competition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.\u00a0Information required includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Participant\/team information<\/li>\n<li>An executive summary of your proposed venture<\/li>\n<li>60-second video pitch<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can save your progress at any time and return later to complete your form.<\/p>\n<p>For more information, visit <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/nbif.ca\/breakthru-startup-pitch-competition\/#1761525893466-a5ef7e7d-591d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">breakthru Startup Pitch Competition<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text]<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_column_text css=\"\"] Deadline: November 28, 2025 Applications for the NBIF breakthru Startup Pitch Competition 2026 are now open. breakthru is New Brunswick\u2019s premier startup competition \u2014 where bold ideas turn into real companies. Hosted by the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF), breakthru connects entrepreneurs with the capital, mentorship, and exposure needed to launch and scale [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow1K2_DA:productID":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-call-for-applications"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3199"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3330,"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3199\/revisions\/3330"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/opportunityforworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}