The Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida is taking applications for its Business Pitch Competition IV through Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. The contest is open to HACCOF members and Scale Up 305 graduates whose businesses have operated for at least two years, and the main prize is $5,000. Twelve finalists will pitch live on Friday, Nov. 6 at the chamber’s Annual Business Innovation Summit at Barry University in Miami Shores.
The window opened Oct. 7, so owners who qualify have about two weeks to put together a short online application, their most recent tax return and a clear plan for the money. What follows sets out who can enter, what the application actually asks, how the chamber says it will choose its 12 finalists, and what the official pages leave unsaid. Every detail comes from the chamber’s competition page, its application form, its summit event page and its membership page, all read on Oct. 8, 2026.
The Competition at a Glance
| Item | What the chamber publishes |
|---|---|
| Application window | Oct. 7 to Oct. 21, 2026 |
| Who may enter | HACCOF members and Scale Up 305 graduates, except previous winners |
| Business age | Operational for at least two years |
| Other requirements | Registered with Sunbiz; taxes filed and up to date |
| What to submit | The official application form and your most recent tax return |
| Finalists | Top 12 applicants pitch live |
| Live pitch | Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at the Annual Business Innovation Summit, Barry University, 11300 NE 2nd Ave., Miami Shores |
| Prize | “Main Prize: $5,000 and other prizes” |
| Chamber contact | 305-733-9066, info@haccof.com |
Who Qualifies, Requirement by Requirement
The chamber’s page lists four general requirements, and an applicant needs all of them. The first is status: the competition is “open to HACCOF members and Scale Up 305 graduates (except previous winners).” If you won an earlier edition of the HACCOF pitch competition, the page rules you out.
The second is age. The business “must be operational for at least 2 years.” The application asks how many years you have been in business and when you started, so have a founding date you can back up. The page does not say whether the two years are counted from your Sunbiz filing date or from your first sale, so ask the chamber if your dates differ.
The third and fourth are paperwork. The business “must be registered with Sunbiz,” Florida’s official business registry, and taxes “must be filed and up to date.” The form asks for your business name as shown on Sunbiz and your Employer Identification Number, and it asks you to upload your most recent tax return. Check that your Sunbiz record is active and that the legal name matches what you plan to type before you start.
Not a Member Yet?
The page does not say whether an owner who joins the chamber during the application window can enter. That is the first question to put to the chamber at 305-733-9066 or info@haccof.com if you are not already a member. The application itself asks whether you are a Scale Up 305 graduate or a HACCOF member and includes an “I am neither” choice, but the competition page still limits entry to members and graduates.
The chamber’s membership page lists a Professional membership at $175 a year, labeled “First Year Only,” plus a $50 one-time admin fee for all new members. Other tiers for nonprofits, businesses and corporate members are priced separately on the same page.
Scale Up 305 is the chamber’s incubator. Its site describes a free, six-week hybrid program covering leadership, marketing, operations, finances and human resources, with one-on-one coaching through SCORE. Graduates are asked on the application to name their cohort, from Cohort 1 through Cohort 15.
What the Application Asks For
The application is an online form embedded on the chamber’s competition page, titled “HACCOF Business Pitch Competition IV.” It runs in three parts. The first collects the basics: your name, email and phone, business name as shown on Sunbiz, industry, website and social links, a description of the business, the business address and your EIN.
The second part asks whether you are a member or a graduate, your Scale Up 305 cohort if you have one, the main challenges your business faces, and an upload of your company logo. The challenge list includes funding, hiring and keeping skilled staff, competition, compliance, technology, marketing, supply chain, cash flow and scaling.
The third part is a short questionnaire. It asks how the grant would help you reach your goals and what you would spend it on, how much money it would take (with choices from up to $1,000 to up to $5,000), how many years you have been in business, your one main product or service, your 2025 revenue, how your business has made a positive impact on the local or global community, and your long-term vision. The community impact and vision answers are each capped at 250 characters. The form ends with an upload of your recent tax return.
What the Chamber Says It Looks For
The application spells out how finalists will be chosen. In the chamber’s words, “Finalists will be selected based on the completeness and coherence of the application, clarity of the business and its current challenges, proposed use and impact of the grant funds, business activity, community impact, and long-term vision and growth potential.”
Two more lines matter for strategy. “Submission of an application does not guarantee participation in the live Business Pitch Competition,” and “only information and documentation submitted as part of the application will be considered during the initial selection process.” In plain terms, a reviewer will not look up your website or call you to fill gaps, so the form has to carry the whole story.
The chamber does not publish how the live pitches on Nov. 6 will be scored, how long each pitch runs or who will judge. If you make the final 12, ask for the pitch format in writing.
Your Application Plan Before Oct. 21
Here is a working plan built from the form’s actual fields. None of it is a chamber requirement beyond what the form asks; it is a way to finish without a scramble on the last day.
| When | Task | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Now | Confirm member or Scale Up 305 graduate status; if neither, call the chamber | Entry is limited to members and graduates |
| Now | Look up your Sunbiz record and copy the exact legal name | The form asks for the name as shown on Sunbiz |
| This week | Locate your most recent filed tax return as a clean PDF, and your EIN | Both are required on the form |
| This week | Find your 2025 revenue figure and your founding date | The form asks for both, and the two-year rule depends on the date |
| Next week | Write a spending plan tied to one goal, with rough costs | “Proposed use and impact of the grant funds” is a selection factor |
| Next week | Draft the 250-character community impact and vision answers | Short limits reward specific, concrete lines |
| By Oct. 20 | Submit, with a day of margin | The page does not publish a closing time on Oct. 21 |
A strong spending plan names the line items. The page lists the uses winners may fund, so match your plan to one of them and attach a number to each piece rather than asking for the full $5,000 by default.
How Winners May Use the Money
The competition page lists six uses for prize funds: expanding operations or opening a new location; buying equipment, tools or technology; marketing and branding; hiring or training staff; improving systems or processes; and launching a new product or service line. The page calls the awards “grant prizes” meant to help businesses grow.
It does not publish reporting requirements, a payment schedule or whether winners must show receipts. Ask before you count the money in a budget.
The Nov. 6 Summit at Barry University
The live pitches happen inside the HACCOF Annual Business Innovation Summit 2026, which the chamber’s event page lists for Friday, Nov. 6, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Barry University, 11300 NE 2nd Ave., Miami Shores. Beyond the pitch competition, the page lists business matchmaking sessions, a franchise opportunities discussion, networking and vendor opportunities.
Owners who are not pitching can still use the day. The event page links a registration form, and vendor details are available from the chamber at 305-733-9066. The page does not publish an admission price or the time slot for the pitch competition.
What Is Not Published
| Question | What the pages say |
|---|---|
| Closing time on Oct. 21 | Not published |
| Can someone who joins the chamber now enter? | Not stated |
| How the two years of operation are measured | Not stated |
| Number and size of the “other prizes” | Not published |
| When finalists will be notified | Not published |
| Live pitch length, format and judges | Not published |
| Summit admission price | Not published on the event page |
Other Miami-Dade Money to Know
A pitch prize is one route among several. For county grant programs, see our Miami-Dade District 9 Mom and Pop grant guide and our MDEAT small business grants guide. For free one-on-one help sharpening a business plan before you apply, see our FAU and FIU SBDC free coaching guide. The full list lives in the SoFla Business Grants and Incentives Guide.
Sources
These pages were opened on Oct. 8, 2026.
- Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida, Business Pitch Competition IV
- HACCOF Business Pitch Competition IV, official application form
- HACCOF, Annual Business Innovation Summit 2026 event page
- HACCOF, Membership plans
- HACCOF, Contact Us
- Scale Up 305
- Florida Division of Corporations, Sunbiz
Key Facts for Owners and Search
Who can enter the HACCOF Business Pitch Competition IV?
The competition is open to members of the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida and graduates of its Scale Up 305 program, except previous winners. The business must have operated for at least two years, be registered with Sunbiz, and have its taxes filed and up to date. The page does not say whether owners who join the chamber during the window qualify.
When is the application deadline?
The application window runs from Oct. 7 to Oct. 21, 2026, according to the chamber’s competition page. The page does not publish a closing time on Oct. 21, so plan to submit by Oct. 20. After the window closes, the chamber reviews all applications and selects the top 12 to pitch live on Nov. 6.
What do I need to submit?
Each applicant completes the official online application and uploads their most recent tax return. The form asks for the business name as shown on Sunbiz, an EIN, industry, address, years in business, 2025 revenue, main challenges, a company logo, a spending plan for the grant, and short answers on community impact and long-term vision.
How are the 12 finalists chosen?
The application says finalists are selected on the completeness and coherence of the application, clarity of the business and its challenges, proposed use and impact of the grant funds, business activity, community impact, and long-term vision and growth potential. Only information submitted with the application is considered in the first round, and applying does not guarantee a pitch slot.
When and where is the live pitch, and what is the prize?
The top 12 pitch live on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at HACCOF’s Annual Business Innovation Summit, which runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Barry University, 11300 NE 2nd Ave., Miami Shores. The chamber lists a main prize of $5,000 plus other prizes, without publishing their number or size.
Brian D’Antoni writes The Sundaze Gazette from Palm Beach County. He reports on business, film and technology for South Florida owners.
