Pitch us.
$1,000 in non-dilutive funding.
Follow @shalynbarrios on Instagram
Stay in the loop for invite-only founder events.
Pitch!
Compete to win one of the 7-day battles.
Butter Builders is a 7-day virtual pitch showdown hosted on Instagram.
Each day, a new Reel is posted where founders pitch their startup directly in the comments.
At the end of each day, the most-liked comment wins and advances to the final round.
Over the course of the week, 6 founders are selected — one from each day.
On Day 7, those 6 finalists compete in a live showdown, where they present their startup and a winner is chosen to take home $1,000.
Starting March 16, 2026.
What are the rules?
1. Follow @shalynbarrios on Instagram to participate. 2. One pitch per video. Founders may only post one startup pitch comment per Reel. 3. You may pitch on multiple days. Each new Reel is a new opportunity to pitch. Founders are welcome to submit a pitch on any or all of the daily videos, but only once per video. 4. Engage with other founders! Participants are encouraged to reply to, connect with, and support other founders in the comments. Replies and conversations are allowed — only additional pitch comments are restricted. 5. Daily winner selection At the end of each day, the pitch comment with the most likes will advance to the final round. 6. No spam or manipulation Spam, fake accounts, bots, or any attempt to artificially manipulate likes may result in disqualification. 7. Edited comments are disqualified. 8. Participants must be 18+ to receive the prize directly. If a participant under 18 wins, the prize must be claimed by a parent or legal guardian.
Is there a specific industry?
No, all founders are welcome to pitch!
General Disclaimers
This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram. By participating, entrants release Instagram from any responsibility related to this contest. Founder reserves the right to remove entries or disqualify participants who violate the rules or attempt to manipulate engagement. Butter Builders is an independent initiative created and hosted by Shalyn Barrios and is not affiliated with or sponsored by Spread Butter Inc. The winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize, distributed via PayPal in four (4) equal installments of $250. Payments will be sent once per week over four weeks, beginning two weeks after the winner is announced and verified. The winner must provide a valid PayPal account to receive the payments. Winner is responsible for any taxes associated with the prize.
