EXPO 2026

Enactus USA Crowns Back-to-Back National Champion at 2026 National Exposition

University of Wisconsin – Whitewater Named Impact Stage National Champion for Second Consecutive Year

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater winning the Impact Stage Competition

April 18, 2026—Denver, Colorado—University of Wisconsin – Whitewater Enactus has been named the Impact Stage National Champion at the 2026 Enactus USA National Exposition. After competing against teams across the country at the Tivoli at Auraria Campus, UW-Whitewater claimed back-to-back national titles and will represent the United States at the Enactus World Cup in São Paulo, Brazil this November, where they will present their winning project RenewTowns.

RenewTowns is a community revitalization project focused on strengthening downtown communities across the U.S. The team partners with local municipalities, landlords, and community members to support entrepreneurs who drive economic development and improve residents’ quality of life. While the project has primarily focused on small towns in Wisconsin, it is expanding quickly — including through RenewTowns Guatemala, which builds on their ProChapina project from last year.

Rounding out the Impact Stage Final Four were Belmont University, North Central College, and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Mikena Manspeaker, Acting Country Leader of Enactus USA, said: “Each year, this event is a reminder of what students are capable of when given the space, structure, and expectation to build something real. The quality of work is improving, the expectations are rising, and more students are stepping into this space ready to build. Congratulations to UW-Whitewater on a back-to-back title — their work with RenewTowns is a powerful example of how Enactus students turn vision into action.”

Belmont University win early-stage championship. L-R: Annie Ryu, Miranda Alfano-Smith, Wei Tsay, Emily Baker, Eloise Dornfeld, Mikena Manspeaker

Belmont University Wins Early Stage Championship

The Early Stage track — designed for newer Enactus teams building foundational ventures — was won by Belmont University Enactus. Belmont is developing a community-based food access model through a local farm store, partnering with Cul2vate and local agricultural producers across Middle Tennessee to develop the strategy and launch plan for a mission-aligned retail concept that supports local agriculture while expanding access to fresh food. Belmont University will also represent the United States at the Enactus World Cup in São Paulo this November.

Social Venture Challenge Winners Announced

This year’s Social Venture Challenge, hosted in partnership with Resolution Project, recognized two winning ventures. Color Palette from Southwestern Adventist University is making mental health resources more accessible through therapeutic art kits. Ribbn from CU Boulder is building community for cancer patients and caregivers navigating treatment and recovery. Both teams demonstrated a shared commitment to creating support where it matters most.

Keynote Speakers and Programming

The 2026 Expo featured keynote addresses from Annie Ryu, founder and CEO of The Jackfruit Company and jack & annie’s, and Bradley Tusk, founder of Tusk Holdings and Tusk Philanthropies. Annie Ryu, herself a Resolution Fellow who launched The Jackfruit Company with Resolution’s support after winning the Social Venture Challenge in 2012, spoke at the closing ceremony. A panel session on wellbeing and burnout in entrepreneurship was organized by Rebecca Sanchez of the Lifelong Wellbeing Foundation, bringing a needed focus on the human side of building.

Awards

Several awards were presented at Expo this year. Recipients are listed below:

  • Passion on Purpose (POP) Award: John Brown University
  • Rookie of the Year Award: Avila University
  • Gen:Re Influencer Award: Rutgers University. (Watch the video)
  • Faculty Advisor of the Year: John Gonas, Belmont University
Students braving a Denver snowstorm on the second day of Expo

About the 2026 Enactus USA National Exposition

The 2026 Enactus USA National Exposition brought together over 400 people for three days of competition, networking, educational workshops, and community at the Tivoli at Auraria Campus in Denver, Colorado — the first time Expo has been held in Denver in Enactus USA’s history. Hailing from across the country, some of the brightest young social entrepreneurs in the country gathered to pitch innovative solutions to critical social and environmental challenges. The event was hosted by Wei Tsay, Founder and CEO of Apologue and Very Asian, Inc.

Notable attendees included Annie Ryu, founder and CEO of The Jackfruit Company and jack & annie’s, and Bradley Tusk, founder of Tusk Holdings and Tusk Philanthropies.

This year’s Expo would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors and partners: Lifelong Wellbeing Foundation, Nimble Up, Causeway, Auraria Campus, Enactus Puerto Rico, Resolution Project, Graticube, and Tusk Philanthropies.

Next year’s Expo location will be announced soon. To learn more about Enactus USA and the annual Enactus USA National Exposition, visit https://enactusunitedstates.org/. And to view all the photos from the event, click here.