Pitchup 2025 - Startup Garage at Calvin University

12 students take the stage and pitch their business idea for two minutes each. Two minutes to explain the problem, the solution, and why it matters - no more, no less. It's a fast, high-energy format that pushes students to distill months of planning into a pitch sharp enough to land with a room full of strangers.

The audience doesn't just watch. Everyone votes from their phones in real time, and their votes carry weight alongside a panel of on-stage judges. Together, they decide who walks away with the prize money.

It's this kind of event that captures what the Calvin Startup Garage is all about: giving people the tools, the stage, and the support to turn a business idea into something real.

That mission is rooted in Calvin University itself. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Calvin is a distinctively Christian, academically excellent liberal arts university that shapes minds for intentional participation in the renewal of all things, and the Startup Garage is one way that mission comes to life, one pitch at a time.