You own a business in Nevada. You have until tomorrow, Saturday, November 14, to enter it in a statewide pitch competition.
No stage. No plane ticket. No production crew.
The Nevada Capital Readiness Program takes a prerecorded video, three minutes max, and the deadline is the whole story here.
Pick Your Lane: The Three Categories Run on Revenue
Applications opened September 18. Every business enters exactly one category, and the categories run on gross revenue from your most recently completed fiscal or tax year.
- Start Up, under $10,000: pre-launch, newly launched, or early-stage businesses preparing to launch or establish operations. No completed tax year yet? Revenue to date counts.
- Stay Up, $10,000 to $99,999: operating businesses strengthening operations, profitability, and sustainability, or clearing a barrier to growth.
- Scale Up, $100,000 and up: operating businesses with real traction and a clear expansion opportunity.
Pick honestly. The program can move you to the category your stage and revenue actually fit, so a stretch pick buys you nothing.
Eligibility is tight and simple. Your business must be based in or operating in Nevada, you must be an owner, founder, co-owner, or co-founder, and you submit one entry per business in one category only.
Film It on Your Phone: Production Quality Is Not Scored
Here is the part most owners get wrong. They waste the last day on editing.
The rules say professional production is not required and will not be scored. Smartphone and webcam recordings are fine, and slides, graphics, product demonstrations, and B-roll are allowed but not required.
The pitch has to come from you personally. An owner, founder, co-owner, or co-founder delivers it, nobody else.
Judges want seven things, in plain terms:
- Who you are and what your business does.
- The problem, need, or market opportunity you address.
- The product or service you offer.
- Your target customer or market.
- What differentiates your business.
- Where your business is today and where you intend to take it.
- How prize funding and resources would be used, and what measurable result they would help accomplish.
One warning, and it is the real trap in this competition. By submitting, you agree your video may be publicly displayed, published, streamed, shared, or promoted, including during the December 5 conference.
So keep secrets out of it. No confidential, proprietary, or sensitive information you do not want public, because the application says exactly that.
What Happens After You Hit Submit
The program reviews entries for eligibility, completeness, and category placement first. Independent judges then score eligible pitches using standardized, category-specific criteria.
Three finalists are picked in each category, nine total, subject to verification. Finalists provide verification and documentation if selected, so keep your numbers provable.
Finalists are featured at the Nevada Capital Readiness Conference and Statewide Pitch Competition on December 5, 2026. One judged winner is picked in each category.
Each category winner gets a cash prize, with amounts announced separately, plus a Business Growth Package of donated professional services, products, and business resources. A separate People's Choice Award runs through a public showcase, with voting details announced before the voting period.
Applicants under 18 need parent or legal guardian consent. Everyone else needs one thing: a complete application and a qualifying video in by November 14.
Three minutes. One phone. Tomorrow.
Record it tonight, and submit it before you talk yourself out of it.
