BUILDFest Southwestern PA
A Celebration of Five Years of BUILD Pittsburgh
Wednesday May 27, 2026
5:00 - 8:00 PM EST
OneValley at the Roundhouse
4165 Blair St, Pittsburgh, PA
Can't attend? Please consider making a gift.
BUILD Pittsburgh 5th Anniversary
Meet BUILD entrepreneurs at the Student Business Expo
Meet student founders and experience the companies they’ve built from the ground up. From product design to sales strategy, the Expo offers a close-up look at what happens when students turn ideas into action.
Celebrate the ideas, energy, and ambition of BUILD students
BUILDFest is the culmination of a year of hard work, creativity, and growth. Throughout the evening, you’ll experience firsthand how BUILD’s entrepreneurship program equips young people with the skills, confidence, and networks to succeed in school, the workforce, and beyond.
Students take center stage
Watch the top student teams pitch their ventures live in a Shark Tank–style finale. Hear their stories, see their progress, and cast your vote as they compete for top honors and cash prizes!
Celebrate the ideas, energy, and ambition of BUILD students
BUILDFest is the culmination of a year of hard work, creativity, and growth. Throughout the evening, you’ll experience firsthand how BUILD’s entrepreneurship program equips young people with the skills, confidence, and networks to succeed in school, the workforce, and beyond.
Meet BUILD entrepreneurs at the Student Business Expo
Meet student founders and experience the companies they’ve built from the ground up. From product design to sales strategy, the Expo offers a close-up look at what happens when students turn ideas into action.
Students take center stage
Watch the top student teams pitch their ventures live in a Shark Tank–style finale. Hear their stories, see their progress, and cast your vote as they compete for top honors and cash prizes!
Be Part of the BUILD Journey
A Youth Pitch Competition
BUILDFest SWPA is the culminating event of the 2024 Southwestern PA Youth Pitch Competition, which invites youth business teams from schools and community-based organizations across Greater Pittsburgh to create an entrepreneurial idea to support a thriving community using the BUILD Design Challenge.
Meet Our MC For The Night: Larry Berger
Executive Director, Saturday Light Brigade Radio
The Saturday Light Brigade started in 1978 when then 17-year-old Larry Berger created a weekly radio program with dreams of establishing a space for people of all ages and backgrounds to gather and hear puzzles, conversation, interviews, and live performances.
The SLB first established studios in the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in 2004, expanding in 2022 by creating a 3,500 sq. ft. Youth Media Center. The Saturday Light Brigade continues to air weekly and — along with this website, podcasts, social media, and more — is among the ways we gather and distribute authentic voices. As we do, people realize that their voice matters — that they matter — and that their voices can be used for self-expression, inquiry, and change.
SLB does school workshops, youth journalism, oral history, self-advocacy, and podcasting programs aimed at teens. Their vision? To provide opportunities to keep youth engaged as they sharpen academic, workforce readiness, technical and life skills, all while discovering their own voices and perspectives — and hearing those of other people.
Meet the Pitch Competition Judges
Jennifer Highfield
Senior Business Advisor,
PNC Bank
Joshua Devine, CEcD
Economic Mobility Officer,
The Pittsburgh Foundation
Majestic Lane
Chief Equity Officer,
Allegheny Conference on Community Development
Michael Flinner
Entreprenuer & Co-Founder of Seamless, The Rewind Company, & MyLTL.com
Be an event sponsor
Contact Betsy Neptune at BNeptune@build.org to learn about sponsorship opportunities.
BUILD Southwestern PA Schools
A huge thank you to our school partners that continue to make impact throughout the year with our students.
Want To Talk With Us?
Thinking of participating, have questions, or would like to learn more information from a BUILD staff member? Please email Emily Donato at EDonato@BUILD.org.
Thank You To Our Partner
