Promising ideas. Five minutes to make the case. Up to $75,000 to help move them forward.
October 8, 2026
The Heersink ACE50 Pitch Competition gives eligible McMaster innovators the opportunity to put their commercialization skills into practice and compete for funding to advance promising ideas toward real-world impact.
Building on skills developed through completion of the DeGroote Heersink Hub’s Masterclass: Foundations of Commercialization, participating teams will deliver a five-minute pitch, followed by five minutes of questions from a panel of McMaster faculty and commercialization representatives.
A total of $150,000 in commercialization funding is available through the DeGroote Heersink Hub and participating McMaster Faculties:
Faculty awards will be available to eligible applicants affiliated with those respective areas. An eligible team could receive both the $50,000 Heersink ACE50 Award and one $25,000 Faculty award, for a maximum of $75,000 in funding.
The competition is designed to help innovators take the next step in their commercialization journey — articulating the problem they are solving, demonstrating the value and market potential of their solution, and making a compelling case for investment.
Pitches will be evaluated by a panel that includes representatives from participating Faculties, along with members of McMaster’s broader innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Additional competition details, including eligibility, judging criteria and the winner announcement, will be shared as they are finalized.