Student entrepreneurs from Massachusetts' top colleges and universities will gather at City Hall Plaza on October 13 for the fifth annual Beantown Throwdown, the state's largest multi-school startup pitch-off.

Presented by HUBweek and hosted by the MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) of Cambridge, the Beantown Throwdown is a signature event of Boston's weeklong, city-wide festival celebrating the region's innovation and creativity. HUBweek was founded by The Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital and MIT.

The 2017 Beantown Throwdown features teams from Babson College, Berklee College of Music, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Harvard University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), MIT, Northeastern University, Tufts University, UMass Boston, and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

This year's competing student startups include:

• Babson College, VINCI
• Berklee College of Music, Synchronize
• Boston College, Mental Rep
• Boston University, EarlierCare
• Brandeis University, Workaround
• Harvard University, Coding it Forward
• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), Hear Me Now
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Infinite Cooling
• Northeastern University, Unsize
• Tufts University, PowerPlay Technologies
• UMass Boston, Dumpster Club
• Wentworth Institute of Technology, FinderDrone

The event will be moderated by Boston Globe Innovation Economy columnist and Innovation Leader co-founder and editor, Scott Kirsner. Always a highlight, Scott will lead a brief discussion on entrepreneurship with local business leaders, investors and innovators. Just announced, Launch Capital Venture Partner Woody Benson will join panelists Dave Balter, CEO, Mylestone; and Emily Levy, CEO & co-founder, Mighty Well (2016 Beantown Throwdo wn winner).

During the event, each team will make a three-minute pitch and then be interviewed by Scott and the panel. After all the teams have presented, Beantown Throwdown attendees will each "invest" $1 million dollars of MITEF Money in the companies that most impressed them. The companies that attract the three largest investments of MITEF Money will be declared the winners. In addition to bragging rights, those startups will also receive prizes donated by a range of organizations supporting the Boston-area's innovation community.

"What began five years ago as a two-school rivalry -- the Crimson and Cardinal Showdown -- has grown to become the state's premier student entrepreneurial competition involving a dozen of Massachusetts' top public and private colleges and universities," said Katja Wald, executive director, MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge. "Each year's standing-room-only crowd really enjoys watching the student startup teams showcase their ideas to executives, investors and other leaders from within the state's technology and innovation community."

First Prize: $12.5K of legal services from Morse Barnes-Brown & Pendleton (MBBP); 2-hour lunch/PR brainstorming session with CHEN PR; HUBweek Change-Maker profile; and a guaranteed place at the MITEF Cambridge Startup Spotlight event in June 2018.

Second Prize: $7.5K of legal services from MBBP; 2-hour lunch/PR brainstorming session with CHEN PR; a feature in a HUBweek winners blog post; a guaranteed place at the MITEF Cambridge Startup Spotlight event in June 2018.

Third Prize: $5K of legal services from MBBP; a feature in a HUBweek winners blog post; a guaranteed place at the MITEF Cambridge Startup Spotlight event in June 2018.

Additionally, all teams will receive a one-year membership to the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge.

About The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge 

The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge is the founding chapter and one of 25 worldwide chapters comprising the MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. Offering more than 40 programs and events annually that inspire innovation, MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge initiatives facilitate critical one-on-one mentoring while providing team services that increase the skills and expertise necessary for entrepreneurs to succeed.

About HUBweek

HUBweek is a festival for the future that explores innovation at the intersections of art, science and technology. Founded by The Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT, HUBweek is a first-of-its-kind civic collaboration that brings together the most creative and inventive minds in making an impact in Boston and around the world. In the past two years, together with over 150 organizations and institutions, HUBweek has hosted more than 250 events, attracting approximately 20,000 registered attendees each year from 49 countries and 40 states.