Caltech Student Entrepreneurs Pitch Their Own Ideas — and Pasadena Hopes They Stay

Caltech student teams will pitch original entrepreneurial projects Monday at the Pasadena Innovation Showcase — ideas spanning AI programs, medical technologies, sustainability initiatives and cybersecurity — each developed without faculty mentors or lab-group backing and each paired with an industry mentor, the university’s Office of Technology Transfer and Corporate Partnerships said.

The student competition is part of Innovate Pasadena’s Connect Week, a five-day series of events running April 12 through 16 that is co-hosted by the City of Pasadena Economic Development Division and the nonprofit Innovate Pasadena.

The showcase, scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Pasarroyo Gathering Event Center on South Lake Avenue, also features students from other area institutions and presentations by established founders and companies, with three $1,000 cash prizes awarded in the categories of best research, most fundable and best presentation, according to event materials.

Each team has proposed “an original product, process, or a novel use for an existing technology,” and the office “has paired each team with a mentor from our network of entrepreneurs and industry professionals to help students develop these business ideas,” the OTTCP said.

For most of the teams, the pitch will be a first.

“Most, if not all, teams have not pitched before,” the office said, “and we hope it’ll be a fun and exciting experience for them to do so here on campus with our community cheering them on!”

The competition is one of the OTTCP’s student programs, which also include the Bill Gross Business Plan Competition and summer internships that pair students with nearby Caltech-associated startups, the office said.

“These student programs bring in members of our local community — we invite industry experts from our network as judges and student mentors for the competition, and pair students with nearby Caltech-associated startups over the summer — making connections between Caltech students and Pasadena’s entrepreneurship community,” the OTTCP said.

The office said that its goal is to help student entrepreneurs find opportunities in Pasadena. “We hope that by helping form these relationships between Caltech’s community and our local community, we can not only nurture the local entrepreneurship ecosystem but also make it easier for Caltech student entrepreneurs of all ages and experiences to find career opportunities and thrive here in Pasadena,” the OTTCP said.

Connect Week 2026 highlights advancements in deep tech, life sciences, climate innovation and quantum computing, according to the City of Pasadena.

“Connect Week is about strengthening connections across Pasadena’s innovation ecosystem,” Innovate Pasadena Chairman Mike Giardello said. “From students and startups to established companies and world-class research institutions, this week showcases the community that makes Pasadena a unique innovation hub.”

The OTTCP said that it could not share the exact projects students will present or make students available before the event. Students “typically do not share what they’re working on before the pitch as they often iterate multiple times based on the feedback from their industry mentor,” the office said.

The Pasadena Innovation Showcase is Monday, April 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. at 251 South Lake Ave., Pasadena. The showcase is co-hosted by Innovate Pasadena, the Alliance for SoCal Innovation and Pasadena Angels. Paid parking is available at the Pasarroyo garage; enter at the north side of Del Mar Boulevard just west of South Lake Avenue. A full Connect Week schedule is available at Luma.com/InnovatePasadena.

“As our students learn, grow, and develop into the next generation of technological leaders, we hope the community will offer our students support, connect with them, and celebrate their ideas and achievements!” the OTTCP said.