Invest Fest 2025 Announces Open Pitch, A Startup Pitch Competition With $125,000 Investment Prize
Earn Your Leisure and Open Opportunity Fund Partner to Spotlight the Next Generation of Breakout Tech Startups
ATLANTA, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Open Opportunity Fund, the venture capital firm, is partnering with Earn Your Leisure (EYL), the cultural force behind Invest Fest, to launch the Open Pitch competition live on stage at Invest Fest 2025 in Atlanta.
The competition offers a $125,000 investment prize and a national platform for early-stage founders building what's next in tech. Applications are open now at www.investfest.com and www.theopenpitch.com.
Open Pitch is the high-energy startup competition built to discover and support the most promising early-stage companies. With hundreds of applicants, five finalists, and one ultimate winner, the competition delivers more than exposure—it connects founders directly with active investors and business leaders who know what it takes to scale.
Finalists will pitch live on stage at Invest Fest at the Georgia World Congress Center. The top five startups will be selected from 25 semi-finalists and evaluated by a panel of guest investor judges. Finalists receive real-time feedback, strategic connections, and a shot at national visibility—and one will walk away with a $125,000 investment from Open Opportunity Fund.
"Invest Fest has become one of the most powerful platforms for economic empowerment in our culture," said Paul Judge, Managing Partner at Open Opportunity Fund. "Bringing Open Pitch to this audience is about spotlighting world-class founders who are building the future. We're proud to back them with capital and community."
"At Earn Your Leisure, our mission is rooted in ownership, access, and opportunity," said Rashad Bilal, Co-founder of Earn Your Leisure & Invest Fest. "Partnering with Paul and Open Opportunity Fund to launch Open Pitch is a natural evolution of that mission. This is more than a pitch competition—it's a movement to fund the future."
"Over the years, we've hosted pitch competitions that have helped founders get their start—but this is the next generation," added Troy Millings, Co-founder of Earn Your Leisure & Invest Fest. "Now we're not just providing capital—we're surrounding the winning companies with strategic support and value creation after the investment. That's how real growth happens."
Open Pitch is where bold ideas meet real opportunity. As artificial intelligence and cloud technology transform every industry—from finance to healthcare, logistics to education—Open Pitch gives founders a national stage to lead that transformation.
Applications close June 30. For eligibility and competition details, visit www.investfest.com and www.theopenpitch.com.
About Invest Fest
Invest Fest is a first-of-its-kind experience blending investing, entrepreneurship, pop culture, and entertainment. Launched by the Earn Your Leisure platform, the annual festival brings together thousands of attendees—including investors, business leaders, creatives, and changemakers—for a dynamic weekend of panels, live interviews, networking opportunities, and cultural activations. Held in Atlanta, Invest Fest serves as a national stage for economic empowerment, financial literacy, and wealth-building within underrepresented communities.
About Earn Your Leisure
Founded in 2018 by lifelong friends, Earn Your Leisure (EYL) has rapidly grown into one of the most influential and innovative media platforms in the world of business, finance, and entrepreneurship. What began as an educational podcast designed to bridge the gap between traditional financial education and popular culture has evolved into a global movement—empowering millions to build wealth and achieve financial freedom.
Today, EYL boasts a loyal community of more than 1.6 million followers across social media and over 1.6 million YouTube subscribers. What started as a podcast has since expanded into a multifaceted ecosystem that includes:
About Open Opportunity Fund
Open Opportunity Fund is a technology investment firm focused on investing in B2B software companies. Open Opportunity Fund's portfolio spans enterprise IT, artificial intelligence, fintech, and health tech sectors. Opportunity Fund 1 is a $100 million fund. The firm has invested in 75 tech companies including Atomic, Brex, Cityblock Health, Eight Sleep, Esusu, Lumu, Paystand, QuickNode, and Subject. In 2023, the team led by Paul Judge and Marcelo Claure announced Fund 2 with a $200 million target to continue to execute the thesis.
Media Contacts:
Earn Your Leisure:francoise@mcm-pr.com / asow@earnyourleisure.com
Open Opportunity Fund: pr@theopportunityfund.com
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SOURCE Open Opportunity Fund