ThunderPitch

ThunderPitch 2026

A Showcase of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

ThunderPitch is Wheaton College's annual entrepreneurial pitch competition, where students present their innovative business ideas on stage before a live audience.  Judged by a panel of business professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors, the event offers students the chance to gain valuable feedback, showcase their creativity, and compete for thousands of dollars in prize money. ThunderPitch embodies the spirit of innovation and provides a platform for future leaders to take their first steps towards entrepreneurial success.

We are proud to announce the fifth annual ThunderPitch competition.

• Thursday, April 23, 2026
• 7:00pm
• Barrows Auditorium, Billy Graham Hall
  
  

How It Started

Years ago, Wheaton students initiated a campus wide pitch competition that was student run and facilitated. But as different generations of students came through, the energy for an annual event waxed and waned. With the establishment of the Harrison Chair in Entrepreneurship, the opportunity for a regular event supported by faculty and incorporated into the curriculum emerged. ThunderPitch began as part of a class requirement, but now the competition is open to anyone on campus with an entrepreneurial idea.

ThunderPitch Award Categories

• AndersonPrize - Grand Prize
• MastadonPrize - High Impact Idea
• WheatiePrize - Most Likely To Succeed
• ThunderPrize - People's Choice*
  *Audience members can select the ThunderPrize - a people's choice award - by attending the event and voting for their favorite pitch.

Apply to Pitch Your Idea!

Any Wheaton student can apply! Use our online form to submit your idea.

In Partnership With

About the David Anderson Grand Prize

After graduating from Wheaton in the 1970s, Dr. Anderson earned a law degree from George Washington University, an MBA from the University of Michigan, a master’s in computer science from Northwestern University, and a doctorate from Harvard. He worked in consulting, healthcare, and tech, and also taught as an adjunct professor at many colleges over the years, including at Wheaton in the 1980s. Anderson was passionate about entrepreneurship and wrote a book titled, “Entrepreneurship and Technology.”

When he died suddenly in 2021, several Wheaton alumni who had been his students decided to honor him with the creation of an endowment that supports the Anderson Prize to be given annually to the winner of ThunderPitch.

One of his former students said about him, “[H]e helped me balance the world and what I was learning in Wheaton with my faith. He was always generous. He was always kind. [When he died] the world lost a great educator, mentor, and friend.”

Dr. Anderson was passionate about students developing real life skills that would serve them and the world well. In his honor, the first place winner of ThunderPitch each year is awarded the Anderson Grand Prize.