The next event in the Startup Summer, organized by the Aiken Chamber of Commerce and Make Startups in theClubhou.se in the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, is approaching.
The deadline to apply for a pitch competition is Thursday, April 30. This is connected to Venture Lab Aiken, part of the Aiken Innovation Corridor, which the chamber announced in August 2025.
Cash prizes are up for grabs, but this is also an opportunity to be part of the summer cohort for the virtual startup incubator. Participants selected for that program will have access to mentorship, training, and real-world tools to make ideas become successful businesses.
“We have half a million dollars in venture capital pledges to support the graduates of that program,” Eric Parker, cofounder of Make Startups, told ABD. “We will make final selections for that on May 12, and if they are accepted into the program, they’re committing to working on their startup over the summer with us.”
Also participating in the Startup Summer activities are the Western SC, the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), and the Magnate Angel Group.
Parker said this is for entrepreneurs ready to scale their startup to the next level. In the world of venture capital, they are looking for businesses that will be worth millions one day. This is not for someone working a side hustle or opening a small brick-and-mortar business. It is for owners looking to grow beyond the CSRA.
“It doesn’t mean it can’t start here and it can’t sell here, but something that has the systems and processes and the technologies behind it so that it can grow bigger than that,” Parker explained. “So, whether you created an invention, whether you developed a software product, whether you have some sort of platform for how you can grow beyond. You could be a manufacturing company. We’re open to any type of business, but you have to be open to how you’re going to scale it.”
The application is to participate in a warm-up activity for the virtual startup accelerator. Called “Pitches and Pitchers,” it will be 5:00-7:00 p.m. on May fifth, Cinco de Mayo, in The Alley in Aiken. While the accelerator program is for businesses ready to reach the next level, the pitch competition is also an opportunity for entrepreneurs just at the idea stage to gauge viability.
“Everybody in our community has said that there’s no capital for the longest time, but right now we have 25 investors in our community that are stepping up and saying, ‘We’re here, we to see what you’ve got,’ and if people show up and we can prove that, then there’s the opportunity to create a much larger fund to support startups in our community,” Parker said.
Companies across the CSRA, both Georgia and South Carolina, are eligible to apply. However, businesses based in Georgia will need to register as a foreign business entity in South Carolina.
The application is available at
https://cofounderos.com/apply/zNypuVJ/Venture-Lab-Aiken/Aiken-Startup-Virtual-Incubator
Learn more about the Aiken Innovation Corridor at: www.aicorridor.net/home
