2025 Pathway to Opportunities Competition for Small Businesses

The Pathway to Opportunity competition is a national pitch event designed to spotlight and support small businesses across the United States. The initiative unfolds in two phases and targets entrepreneurs seeking to engage with corporate supply chains. The primary objective of the program is to expose innovative small businesses to procurement professionals from top U.S. corporations, potentially creating new business relationships and supply opportunities. Phase I serves as the semifinal round and is open to all eligible small businesses. Applicants are required to complete an application, submit a capability statement, and produce a three-minute video pitch that describes their company and offerings. A judging panel made up of corporate procurement professionals will review all submissions. From this pool, thirty businesses will be selected to advance to Phase II—the live finals—and gain further exposure. To qualify, companies must be at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by U.S.-based entrepreneurs. The owner, co-owner, or founder must be 21 years or older and must also be the CEO or controlling shareholder. The business must be active for at least three months prior to applying. Applications, including the pitch video, must be submitted by June 9, 2025. In Phase II, finalists will present their business in a live, virtual three-minute pitch followed by up to three minutes of questions from a panel of corporate buyers. This final phase offers monetary awards for the top three presenters: $5,000 for first place, $2,500 for second, and $1,250 for third. Even businesses not advancing to Phase II will benefit from having their pitches viewed by major corporate representatives. This initiative provides small businesses a valuable platform to enhance visibility and potentially integrate into corporate procurement networks. The competition begins accepting applications in February 2025. Interested applicants can reach out for further details via email or phone.