August 28, 2026

Nogales, AZ

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Hey Nogales risk takers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs!

Do you have a “moonshot” business idea or an existing business you’d like to expand? Or maybe you have a product or business idea scribbled down on a napkin  or notebook, but that's as far as you've gotten?!

​If you answered YES to either question above, join us for Moonshot's 7th Annual Rural Arizona Pitch Competition for entrepreneurs and business owners (aka, a showcase like you see on ABC's Shark Tank)!

This year’s focus is on INNOVATION. We'll be taking the tour to 20 different cities/counties throughout rural Arizona. Participants with innovative business/product/service ideas or existing businesses they want to grow will compete for the chance to win local tour stop prize money and more! But that’s not all. In October 2025, each tour stop winner will travel to the Greater Phoenix area to compete for the state title and $10,000 in cash, $5,000 in cash for "Crowd Favorite”, and additional cash prizes! Winners from each tour stop will receive two complimentary tickets to the finals event and hotel stay. More finals event details to come!

But that’s not all! ALL competitors who participate in a tour stop competition will automatically receive a Moonshot membership valued at $5,500 (annually)! Moonshot members receive mentorship, educational programs, and access to investors and funding opportunities.

HOW TO APPLY TO COMPETE:

Please see the schedule below. To apply, simply click the button below.

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Congrats to the 2025 Nogales, AZ Winners!

  • A man in a black shirt with a name tag and a woman in a white blazer holding a large ceremonial check at the Moonshot Rural Arizona Pitch Competition 2025 event. The background features banners, including one with an astronaut and desert landscape, and the Arizona state flag. Several people are seated on the left side, and refreshments are on a table to the right.

    Alexander La Pierre

    Borderlandia

    First Place Winner

    Borderlandia is a boutique cultural organization offering immersive tours, storytelling, a digital magazine ,and education focused on the Arizona-Sonora borderlands. Our unique selling proposition is blending public history with design, creating unforgettable experiences that challenge myths and celebrate the region’s rich heritage. Unlike standard tour companies, we specialize in bilingual, research-based content grounded in local voices and historical accuracy. We're notable for making borderlands culture accessible, visual, and engaging. Profitability comes from curated tours, speaking engagements, and a growing membership, all while building a loyal community passionate about cross-cultural understanding and place-based storytelling.

  • Two women standing beside each other holding a large ceremonial check at an event. One woman is wearing a white jacket and gray skirt, while the other is dressed in a karate gi with a blue vest. Behind them are banners for the Moonshot Rural Arizona Pitch Competition 2025, with various sponsors listed.

    Sylvia Reynolds

    Danny’s Helping Hands

    Second Place

    Residential and Commercial Cleaning Services in Sahuarita, Green Valley, and Nogales.

  • Two women standing indoors holding a large ceremonial check at the Moonshot Rural Arizona Pitch Competition 2023. Behind them are banners and clothing racks, with one banner displaying the event's logo and sponsors.

    Maribel Hernandez Diaz

    MiniPastries

    Third Place

    Mini Pastries is the name of a company dedicated to the production of healthy desserts, made with natural and fresh ingredients from home; for all types of people and palates, located in Nogales Arizona. Our mission is improve the quality of life of the population by offering healthy and fresh desserts and our vision is reach all people who want a lifestyle change with sugar consumption in Santa Cruz County.

Our local Nogales sponsors make this event possible by hosting a space for the event, helping to get the word out locally, and providing local prize money for winners. We couldn’t do it without them!

Seal of Maricopa County, Arizona, featuring a crown, arrows, a bell, mountains, a cross, and the words "Pimeria Alta," with the date 1899.
Startup Unidos logo with tagline 'Innovation Without Borders' on a green and yellow background.
Illustration of a cactus with multiple green pads and small dark green spines.
Groundswell Capital logo on a blue background with white text and abstract line designs.
Logo with large stylized initials 'CR', the words 'Coach Empresarial' underneath, inside a diamond-shaped border.
Close-up of a stylized DNA double helix illustration with overlapping loops, and the text "UGENOME AI" below.
Logo with a stylized sun in orange and yellow, and the word 'cic' in green lowercase letters.
A cartoon illustration of a woman with purple hair, wearing a hat, sitting at a desk with a laptop and coffee cup, in front of a window with curtains.

EVENT SCHEDULE COMING SOON

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You do not need to have experience as an entrepreneur to compete. You can simply have an idea for a product or service.

    Participants will be taught how to present a business pitch in 5 minutes.

    Each tour stop competition schedule will vary, depending on how many applicants apply. We will expect you attend the full day event, should you apply.

    A sample schedule and sample presentations from past tour stops events will be shared below. We’ll make sure you have as much reference material as possible.

    You do not need to use a slide show (like Powerpoint or Canva) to present your ideas; however, if you’d like to do so, that’s wonderful. Past winners have won local tour stop events without the assistance of slide shows.

    Learn more about what to expect and take a look at past pitch presentations here.

  • Check out individual tour stop pages listed in the menu above or go to our calendar page.

  • Check out our Participant Resources page.

  • The schedule for each tour stop will vary depending on the number of applicants who apply to compete. We’ve broken the sample agendas out below. These are subject to change. This year, we are capping the number of participants in larger tour stops to 20 participants. Applications will be accepted first come, first serve.

    Tour Site A - less than 10 applicants (smaller events/tour stops)

    Agenda A:

    8:30 AM - Welcome + Pitch Worksheet Workshop- Fill out pitch worksheet

    9:30 AM: 1st Pitch Practice Workshop, emphasis on financials and business model

    10:30 or 11:00 AM: 2nd Pitch Practice Workshop, emphasis on legal and branding/marketing

    12:00 or 12:30 PM: Working lunch, pitch deck cleanup

    1:30 or 2:00 PM: Start Pitch Competition

    3:00 or 3:30: Announce Winners

    Tour Site B - 10-12 applicants, 2 rooms

    Agenda B:

    8:30 AM - Welcome + Pitch Worksheet Workshop- Fill out pitch worksheet

    Break applicants into 2 groups

    9:30 AM: GROUP 1- 1st Pitch Practice Workshop, emphasis on financials and business model

    GROUP 2- 1st Pitch Practice Workshop, emphasis on legal and branding/marketing

    10:30 or 11:00 AM - GROUP 1- Pitch Practice Workshop, emphasis on legal and branding/marketing

    GROUP 2- 2nd Pitch Practice Workshop, emphasis on financials and business model

    12:00 or 12:30 PM: Working lunch, pitch deck cleanup

    1:30 or 2:00 PM: Start Pitch Competition

    3:00 or 3:30: Announce Winners

    Tour Site C- 12-20 applicants, 3 rooms

    Agenda C:

    8:30 AM - Welcome + Pitch Worksheet Workshop- Fill out pitch worksheet

    Break applicants into 3 groups

    9:30 AM: GROUP 1- 1st Pitch Practice Workshop

    GROUP 2- 1st Pitch Practice Workshop

    GROUP 3- 1st Pitch Practice Workshop

    10:30 or 11:00 AM - GROUP 1- 2nd Pitch Practice Workshop

    GROUP 2- 2nd Pitch Practice Workshop

    GROUP 3- 2nd Pitch Practice Workshop

    Participants will only attend 2 of 3 practice rounds/ Applicants will be cut down to 8-10 for the finals

    12:00 or 12:30 PM - Working lunch, pitch deck cleanup

    1:30 or 2:00 PM - Start Pitch Competition

    3:00 or 3:30 - Announce Winners

  • See examples of past pitch presentations here.

  • Here’s an example of the pitch worksheet that all participants receive at the beginning of the day. It walks you through how to pitch your idea/business and what elements you need to include.