The application deadline for Pitch Black, a pitch competition for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs in the Midwest, has been extended to Dec. 19. 

Pitch Black is a flagship event for the Midlands African Chamber, a membership organization founded in 2020 to support African and African American businesses. Finalists will compete for a grand prize of up to $15,000 and over $40,000 in in-kind support across marketing, legal and accounting services.

Pitch competition eligibility

There are five conditions to apply to Pitch Black:

• Startups or small businesses must be in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota or Kansas.
• More than half of the business owners must be residents of Nebraska, Iowa or Missouri.
• Businesses must be a for-profit entity.
• More than half of the business owners must identify as BIPOC or immigrant or refugee.
• Applications must be in by Dec. 19, 2025.

A multi-stage process

Applicants will be notified of their acceptance to Pitch Black by Jan. 9. There will be three preliminary rounds of judging and business coaching in January and February.

The five finalists will present live on May 2 at the Pitch Black Conference. There are prizes for every finishing spot, as well as a separate investors’ pick award of $5,000 that the audience votes for.The full timeline can be found here.

Lev Gringauz is a Report for America corps member who writes about corporate innovation and workforce development for Silicon Prairie News.