It’s that time of year again.
As we barrel toward Grep-a-Palooza 2026 and put the final touches on our preparations, we are ready to announce the slate of startups that will compete in this year’s pitch competition.
Between open applications and a partnership with the Launch Powered by KPMG accelerator program, nearly 90 startups were in contention to take the stage. Ultimately, final assessments were entrusted to an independent committee and 15 total companies were selected.
These startups will compete across three sessions at Grep-a-Palooza, with each founder offering a presentation and engaging in Q&A with some of our (esteemed, of course) investor-judges. Each session will produce a finalist (chosen by the judges for that session) and at the end of the day, you, the audience, will choose which of those three finalists takes home $5K in literal cash (and possibly $1 bills).
Without further ado, here’s a look at who’s taking the stage to impress our judges and earn your vote.
