Startup Savannah will close Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 16-22, with LIFTOFF: LOWCOUNTRY, a live pitch competition where 10 founders from Georgia, South Carolina and Florida compete for $25,000. The competition, presented by

LiveOak Fiber, takes place Saturday, Nov. 21, at Service Brewing Co. in downtown Savannah. The prize pool is the largest in the organization’s history.

Saturday’s founders include the 2026 GRIT Pitch champion, the winners of SPARK Savannah’s spring and fall cohorts, the LIFTOFF: SPARK winner, nominees from the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, the Don Ryan Center in Bluffton, S.C., and the Lucas Center in Brunswick, as well as two founders invited by LiveOak Fiber from Okaloosa County, Fla. A wild-card selection will round out the field of 10.

“Great communities are built by people who are willing to take a chance on an idea and turn it into something real. LIFTOFF: LOWCOUNTRY brings together entrepreneurs from around the region to connect, share ideas and build relationships that can help those ideas grow,” said Steve Smith, LiveOak Fiber Founder and Chief Community Development Officer. “LiveOak Fiber is proud to support the people creating businesses, jobs and new opportunities – and the connections that make communities stronger.”

Each founder gets four minutes to pitch and two minutes of questions from judges. First place receives $10,000 and a WSAV media package, second place receives $7,500 and third place receives $5,000. The audience picks a fourth winner, who takes home $2,500.

A separate event the night before, LIFTOFF: SPARK on Friday, Nov. 20, gives founders from the SPARK Savannah accelerator a chance to pitch live for one of the 10 seats in Saturday’s competition. WSAV, the event’s media partner, will broadcast both nights live.

“Every founder pitching Saturday earned that spot through a program, a competition or a partner who saw something in them,” said Nick Palumbo, executive director of Startup Savannah. “We can’t wait to see what they bring to the stage.”

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. both nights at Service Brewing Co., located at 574 Indian St., with programming from 6 to 8 p.m. Early bird tickets go on sale Oct. 6, and regular pricing begins Oct. 17. Tickets and details are available at gew.startupsavannah.org.