BioSpark Competition
BioSpark is a competitive live pitch event for life sciences start-ups that takes place during the annual BioDiscovery Summit and is co-hosted by CvilleBioHub and Cooley. The event will be held Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 9:00 am at the Irving Theater, 225 W. Water Street in Charlottesville.
Applications close on August 15th, 2026.
Applications close on August 15th, 2026.
BioSpark Pitch Eligibility
- Pre-seed or seed-stage company with formal entity
- Entity has full ownership rights to technology
- No more than $10M raised to date
- Open to U.S.-based companies
- One entry per company
BioSpark Pitch Categories
The submitted product or service must fall under one of the following categories:
- Therapeutics
- Digital Health and Analytics
- Medical Devices
- Diagnostics
- Healthcare Delivery
- AI Healthcare Service
- Healthcare Adjacent Technologies
BioSpark Pitch Process
- After the application process, eight companies will be invited to deliver an in-person pitch before a panel of judges and an audience of life sciences investors and summit attendees
- Pitches will consist of 8-minute presentations plus 5 minutes of Q&A with the panel of judges
- A pitch deck of no more than 15 slides must include: the problem, solution, value/science, business model, progress, data, fundraising ask, use of funds, team, and competitive landscape
- Selected companies are required to participate in an in-person runthrough on September 16th
- Selected companies are expected to stay for the awards presentation on the afternoon of September 17 during the BioDiscovery Summit program
BioSpark Pitch Prizes
Participating companies are eligible for $30,000 in cash prizes. One company will receive a year of access to CBH’s Commonwealth BioAccelerator.
BioSpark Judging Criteria
- Customer and Problem – 20%
Who is the product/solution targeted to and why? - Solution and Benefits – 20%
Does the product successfully address the stated problem? - Innovation – 20%
What makes the solution unique, better, or different? - Ability to Execute – 20%
Is the team experienced, capable, and possessing the expertise needed to execute? - Effective Presentation – 20%
