Sunstone CSU Startup Launch

A total of $200,000 in prize money will be awarded. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place awards will be given in each of the five tracks; in addition, a $25K Grand Prize Award, as well as an Audience Choice Award, will be given. 

The tracks for the 2026 competition are:

(1) AI and Digital Technology for startups leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, software platforms, or digital innovations to solve problems in areas like automation, data analytics, or user experiences.

(2) Hardware and Consumer Products for ventures developing tangible goods for everyday consumers, such as innovative gadgets, apparel, or household items focused on functionality, design, and market appeal.

(3) Health and Wellness for businesses creating solutions for physical, mental, or holistic health, including biotech tools, fitness apps, nutrition products, or accessible healthcare services.

(4) Service-Based Businesses for companies offering B2B or B2C services like consulting, platforms, or on-demand solutions that emphasize efficiency, scalability, and customer satisfaction.

(5) Social Impact Enterprises for impact-driven startups addressing societal challenges through sustainable practices (e.g., environmental conservation or green tech) and community impact (e.g., equity, education, or local empowerment initiatives).

Track assignments are determined based on application details to ensure balanced competition.

The Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition is exclusively for participants from the 23 California State University campuses. 

At least one founder must be:

• A current undergraduate or graduate student of their respective campus, or
• Have graduated in the most recent two (2) academic years, (Fall/Winter 2024 graduates eligible).

Although non-CSU students may be on the team, leadership and decision-making must be composed of students and/or alumni from the participating campus. The pitch must be delivered by the team’s current CSU student or recent alumni, as defined above.

Only startups with revenue of less than $15,000 to date from product/ services sales are eligible to compete.

Team selection is the choice of the leadership of each participating campus. Participating CSU institutions select and invite up to two (2) teams based on their own, University-level criteria. Selection criteria are defined by each campus's innovation or entrepreneurship program, and are not dictated by the CSU-level event, Sunstone, CSUN, nor event sponsors. 

For more information about how to qualify and represent your campus, please reach out to your University entrepreneurship coordinator. For interested CSUN teams, please contact entrepreneurship@csun.edu.

The Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition will take place on May 7th-8th, 2026:

📅 May 7th – Pre-Competition Activities
(For participating CSU staff, students, faculty, and special guests only)

📍 May 8th – Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition & Showcase
🕗 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM |  CSUN USU Northridge Center
Audience RSVP

✨ Additional event details coming soon — stay tuned!

The event will feature two phases on competition day, May 8th, 2026.

Startup Showcase
The first phase is a "trade show"-style expo featuring the competing teams. Each team receives a 6-foot table with a black tablecloth to showcase their startup. Teams may bring prototypes, presentations, posters, demos, etc., but power outlets are not guaranteed at each table.
Judges will circulate the room evaluating startups. They may not visit every team, and there's no minimum or maximum time per visit. The judging period lasts up to 3 hours.
After the showcase, the top three winners per track are selected, with first-place teams from each track advancing to the Grand Finale. Finalists are announced at the Grand Finale just before their pitch.

Grand Finale
Finalists deliver a pitch on-stage followed by 5-7 minutes of Q&A with distinguished judges. Judges select and announce the Grand Finale winner, and additional prize winners will be announced to conclude the event.

Student startup concepts will be judged based on the following criteria, assessing desirability, feasibility, and viability:

Value Proposition: How effectively does the startup address a validated problem or unmet need for its specific target customers? How concise, compelling, and visionary is the pitch in articulating this solution?

Market Opportunity: What is the quantifiable size and growth potential of the target market? How deeply does the startup demonstrate customer insights, including validated willingness to pay and market segmentation?

Competitive Advantage: How uniquely does the startup differentiate from current and emerging competitors? What is the defensible innovation or unique value proposition that provides a sustainable market edge?

Business Model: How clearly does the startup outline its revenue streams, cost structure, and path to profitability? How scalable, resilient, and evidence-based are the financial projections and underlying assumptions?

Team Capability: How relevant are the founders' and team's qualifications, experience, and complementary skills? How demonstrably collaborative, passionate, and committed are they to executing the startup's goals?

Impact: How rigorously does the startup quantify and track its positive effects on customers, society, and the environment? How tightly aligned are its mission, operations, and measurable outcomes for significant, sustainable impact?

Partnerships: To what degree has the team formalized partnerships with strategic industry players? How secured, verifiable, and integral are these partnerships to the startup's growth and operations?

Prototype: How functional and user-tested is the prototype in demonstrating the core concept? Does it reflect an iterative development process with evidence of refinement, user feedback, and effective prototyping methods?

Presentation Quality: Has the team crafted a succinct, engaging quick pitch that captures attention and clearly conveys the business essentials? Can an engaged listener easily grasp and accurately retell the concept to others?

Market Validation: What concrete evidence (e.g., surveys, pilots, or sales data) has the team collected to confirm the problem's prevalence in the target market and demand for the solution at proposed pricing?

Can my team compete again if we won a prize in a previous year?
No. If your team or concept was previously a winner of any prize in the Sunstone CSU Startup Launch competition, you cannot compete again.

Is my school competing? How can I find out? Can I apply to the competition anyway?
Each participating campus will determine the two teams (maximum) that they will send to the competition. To find out if your campus is competing, please reach out to your University entrepreneurship coordinator. 

What is the cost to enter/participate?  Who pays for travel and accommodations?
Please coordinate with your campus innovation or entrepreneurship program coordinator for details and eligibility for your University. Travel and accommodations are also coordinated with your campus representatives. Meals during the event (Thursday night, and Friday breakfast and lunch) are included with your University's participation. A discounted corporate hotel rate has been negotiated for the event.

I have dietary restrictions - what accommodations are available?
The food provided will be buffet-style that include options for those with common dietary restrictions. 

Do I have to attend both days of the event, or can I just show up to compete? 
Student competitors are not required to attend all programming. Though attendance on the first day is not required, we highly encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to network and meet other like-minded innovators.

Sunstone Management, with subsidiary Sunstone Venture Capital Fund, is a diversified private capital management and investment firm offering comprehensive wealth management solutions worldwide. Focusing on investments in U.S. based small businesses and lower middle markets, its offerings are carefully structured to meet targeted investor goals ranging from short term senior debt products to longer term, equity, growth capital, and venture capital investment strategies. Sunstone is also extremely active as an investor in tech startups as a founding member of the Long Beach Accelerator. The Sunstone Community fund has been the key sponsor for the CSU Startup Launch since the beginning. To learn more, please visit sunstonecommunity.org.

The Center for Social and Technology Entrepreneurship (C-STE) at CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics promotes and fosters entrepreneurship and innovation, with a unique specialization in both technology and social entrepreneurship, within the DNCBE, CSUN, and the greater Los Angeles community by leveraging strengths in networks, research, interdisciplinary initiatives, curricular and co-curricular programming, and community/industry engagement.