September 23, 2026
Sierra Vista, AZ
A Pitch Competition for Cochise County
Congrats to the Cochise County Winners!
-
Khatrina Swarup
First Place Winner
OncoNexus is a software company helping cancer clinics make sure nothing from a patient's visit gets lost.Cancer care is one of the most complex medical specialties. Dozens of tasks come out of a single visit: orders, referrals, authorizations, follow-ups, patient instructions. Most practices manage this across disconnected systems, with staff manually filling the gaps. Things get missed. Claims get denied. Patients don't know what to do next.
OncoNexus turns one recorded visit into a structured action plan for the care team and a plain-language summary for the patient. Unlike existing tools that stop at note-generation, we handle what happens after the visit.
-
Jason Gulick and Jonathan Burnett
Gunslingers
Second Place
Our company is an indoor, laser enabled shooting range. It solves the problem of having to travel to a firing range where you can't practice handling your firearm beyond rigidly shooting straight ahead with no draw from a holster, saves money on real ammunition, and increases confidence in new shooters. The CO2 recoil creates the feel of a real pistol or rifle while the "bullet" is a laser that provides accurate real-time feedback to recreational shooters, law enforcement, and others such as church protection teams. We're marketing to customers of all backgrounds- those who have never handled a firearms, competition shooters, men, women, families, and friends who just want to have fun. Word of our facility will be advertised on local outlets, on paper in places like Cal Ranch, and by being located at the Mall directly next to a future trampoline park.
-
Matthew Foldenauer
Patriot Elite Logistics
Third Place
My company is a black car and luxury transportation service provider that specifically services southern Arizona. We started our company to address a critical shortage of services in the local area. We are focused on providing solutions and connections. Not just transportation with an emphasis on military communities, underserved and underprivileged communities and small business owners. In Cochise County, it's different from their competitors, because we offer all of our services using late model luxury vehicles, professionally, dressed drivers and a high degree of quality and everything that we do. We intend to achieve profitability by targeting our price structure at or slightly above the current competitor's offerings.
Hey Cochise County 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 2026, 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:
The competition has concluded for 2026. Stay tuned for next year!
Our local Sierra Vista 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!
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS/DETAILS
LOCATION:
Doc’s Watering Hole at 1959 S. Frontage Rd. Sierra Vista, AZ. 85635
SCHEDULE:
9am - 10am: Welcome, Meet the Mentors, and Pitch Worksheet Workshop
10am - 12:30pm: Participants Present Their Pitch For Mentors/Receive Feedback
During this time period, we’ll split the participants into two groups. One group will present their pitch downstairs to a team of mentors and one will present upstairs to a different team of mentors.
After the pitches conclude, the mentors will deliberate to determine which 8 to 10 participants will pitch in the finals starting at 1:30pm.
12:30pm - 1:30pm: Working Lunch to Finalize Pitches + Mentors deliberate to determine 8-10 pitch finalists based on the first round of pitching
1:30pm: Pitch Finals Start (8 to 10 finalists will pitch) - Open to the Public
Please note: Names of finalists won’t be revealed until the finals event. Names will be called one at a time (in between pitch presentations). When the finalist hears their name called, they’ll move to the stage to present their final pitch.
2:30pm: Judges deliberate to determine winners
3:00pm: Winners announced/photos taken with sponsors, judges/mentors, and hosts
Prize Money + In-Kind Prizes
1st place Winner:
$2,000 cash
1 yr membership to the Southern AZ Hispanic Chamber
1 yr membership to Sky Islands Regional Partnership
$5,000 of advertising with Herald Review Media
2nd Place Winner:
$1,500 cash
1 yr membership to the Sky Islands Regional Partnership
$2,500 of advertising with Herald Review Media
3rd Place Winner:
$1,000 cash
1 yr membership to the Sky Islands Regional Partnership
$1,000 of advertising with Herald Review Media
In addition to the local prize money awarded, all competitors who participate in the event will automatically receive a Moonshot membership valued at $5,500 (annually). Moonshot members receive mentorship, educational programs, and access to investors and funding opportunities.
The first place winner in SIERRA VISTA will compete in the State Finals event on October 24, 2026 in Phoenix. They will compete to win $10,000 and they have a shot at the $5,000 crowd favorite award, too. This tour stop winner will also receive a complimentary 2-night stay in Phoenix On Friday, October 23rd and Saturday, October 24th, in addition to two tickets to the finals event.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
-
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.