BUILD Southwestern PA Partners
A huge thank you to our annual partners that continue to make impact throughout the year with our students.
BUILDFest Southwestern PA
A celebration of young entrepreneurs and
the culmination of the 4th Annual
Southwestern PA Youth Pitch Competition.
Wednesday May 21, 2025
5:30PM EST
OneValley at the Roundhouse
4165 Blair St, Pittsburgh, PA
Can't attend? Please consider making a gift.
An inspiring event celebrating 25 years of BUILDing legacy and impact.
BUILD launched in the Bay Area in 1999. In 2021, we started programming here in Pittsburgh.
Now, for the fourth year in a row, dozens of teams from local high schools and community organizations will pitch their innovative business ideas in hopes of becoming the 2025 Southwestern PA Youth Pitch Champion!
This event includes an opening reception with a gallery walk featuring our Semi-Finalists, followed by the final round of competition in front of a panel of VIP judges and hundreds of BUILD community members for cash prizes and start-up funds.
BUILDing Entrepreneurial Leaders. Transforming Communities.
Join us as we journey through a quarter century of impact, witness the brilliance of today’s student entrepreneurs, and together, shape a future where every student’s potential is unleashed and every community thrives.
One Student at a Time.
BUILDFest Southwestern PA 2024 is a celebration of young entrepreneurs across Greater Pittsburgh. Support our efforts to continue programming by registering for BUILDFest for FREE or consider a generous donation of $50 to support our continued growth!
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
Signature Sponsor
Lead sponsor recognition, Premium seating for 10, Invite to present winning cash prize, invite to be one of the four BUILDFest Judges
Fund-a-Finalist
Sponsor recognition, Premium seating for 10, Invite to intro top team, option for single day virtual engagement for up to 5 employees
Sales Expo Sponsor
Sponsor recognition at sales expo, premium seating for 8, Invite for leader to visit a classroom for a student engagement opportunity
Team Sponsor
=Sponsor recognition for one team, premium seating for 6
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
