APRIL 2 & APRIL 8, 2026
Quad Cities/Prescott, AZ
Congrats to the 2026
Quad Cities Winners!
MycoEarth, LLC restores the microbiome of Arizona farm, orchard, and vineyard soils using mushroom grain spawn — actively growing fungal mycelium applied directly to the land via the MycoBucket Method, which delivers colonized mycelium on cereal straw to reverse four decades of biological damage caused by synthetic herbicides, fungicides, and fertilizers. Unlike national competitors such as Fungi Perfecti, which ships from Washington with a six-week lead time, MycoEarth ships Arizona-native, regionally matched grain spawn from Prescott in two weeks, with hands-on application guidance tailored to orchardists, viticulturists, and field farmers. Customers — primarily Arizona certified organic operations reached through the MycoEarth eBooks, Yavapai Community College, the Arizona Farm Bureau, and the Arizona Organic Farming Association — see reduced input costs, improved water retention, and stronger yields within two growing seasons, while MycoEarth generates a 93% gross margin on production costs under $1.05 per pound at a retail price of $12–$15 per pound.
MycoEarth
Kathryn Crew
1st Place Winner
Heidi Brown
2nd Place Winner
HeidiDerm LLC is a profitable, handcrafted organic skincare company serving people of all ages dealing with sensitive skin, acne, eczema, inflammation, dryness, and pain — offering plant-based formulas rooted in wellness, simplicity, and transparency that deliver real results without harsh chemicals. Currently carried in five Northern Arizona stores, HeidiDerm reaches customers through 30 scheduled pop-up market appearances, daily social media engagement, a referral rewards program, free sampling, and grassroots outreach, with a growing loyal client base and consistently strong reviews driving rapid word-of-mouth growth. With 80–90% profit margins across all products and a target of $25,000 in sales this year, HeidiDerm is well-positioned to scale.
Jacob Labagh
3rd Place Winner
My company is a distributed 3D-printed product marketplace and wholesale platform supplying retail stores and consumers with impulse-friendly novelty items. We partner with local makers who print products on demand, allowing fast turnaround times and eliminating the need for warehouses or centralized print farms. We are currently testing this model in Prescott, Arizona. We sell directly to local gift shops and tourist stores in person to build brand awareness and leverage impulse purchases. Each product includes a QR code that drives customers to our online store, allowing retail shelf space to generate online traffic without relying heavily on paid advertising. Our model solves two problems: retailers need unique, high-margin local products, and independent makers need reliable distribution. Because items are printed by approved local makers, production scales without major overhead, no warehouse leases, large equipment investments, and minimal fixed costs. As demand grows, we can simply onboard more makers. Our cost per unit averages about $1. We wholesale at $5 and retail online at $10–$12. This provides strong margins while enabling scalable growth as we expand city-by-city across the United States.
Our local Quad Cities 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!
Local Title Sponsor
Additional Local Sponsors
Hey Quad Cities/Prescott risk takers, business leaders, & 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:
Thanks for you interest to compete. The application window is now closed.
Please note: You must live in Quad Cities area (Prescott/Prescott Valley, etc) in order to qualify to compete in this competition.
Schedule
April 2, 2026 - Pitch Practice & Semi-finals
Yavapai College
1100 E Sheldon St, Prescott, AZ 86301
Building 19, Room 201
9am-2pm
DETAILED SCHEDULE
9:00 AM: Welcome + Pitch Worksheet Workshop
10 AM - 12:00 PM: Pitch Practice - Group splits in two.
12:00 PM - Pitch Deck Clean Up
12:30 PM - Semi-Finals Pitch Competition
2:00 PM - Eight finalists are announced.
Those eight finalists will compete for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize on April 8, 2026 from 9am-11am. The winner of the Quad Cities competition will compete in the state finals in October.
and
April 8, 2026 - Pitch Finals Competition during Prescott’s “AZ Tech Week” Event
Yavapai College
1100 E Sheldon St, Prescott, AZ 86301
Building 19, Room 201
Prescott, AZ
9am-11am
PRIZE MONEY
$1500 for 1st place
$1000 2nd place
$500 for 3rd place
- SEE SPONSOR INFORMATION BELOW-
Frequently Asked Questions
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Check out individual tour stop pages listed in the menu above or go to our calendar page.
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Check out our Participant Resources page.
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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
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See examples of past pitch presentations here.
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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.