Students at Grambling State University, Louisiana State University Shreveport and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches will have the chance to win cash prizes and professional services for their business idea.
Students can now enter their individual school’s pitch competition presented by BRF’s Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP). Qualifying applicants will progress through three phases of competition. In the first phase, students will submit their business idea. Student submissions at all three universities must be in by Sept. 28, 2018.
The second phase is a required business development workshop. EAP analysts and other industry experts will guide the students through entrepreneurial training, business and financial model development and coaching for the pitch competition. Following the workshop, students will be required to update their initial idea submission. An independent group will assess each submission.
Five students at each school will be chosen to pitch their idea in the third and final phase of the competition. Each school will host its own Final Pitch competition during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), Nov. 12-18, 2018. GEW is an initiative supported by the Kauffman Foundation, dozens of world leaders, and partner organizations to drive entrepreneurial activity across the globe. Thousands of entrepreneurship events and competitions will be held in 170 countries during this week. For the Final Pitch, students will have seven minutes to present their business idea, followed by a five-minute question and answer segment from the panel of judges.
The first, second and third place finishers at each university will receive cash prizes of $3,000, $1,000 and $500, respectively, along with six months of in-kind professional services from EAP. All top five finalists will receive scholarships to attend the LA Start-Up Prize 2019.
Last year, Colin Moran of Karnack, Texas won the first EAP-sponsored pitch competition. His pitch for a social app for sports enthusiasts to meet, called Pickup, was chosen by a panel of judges at LSUS.
Below are important dates for students at each university:
Grambling State University – The Golden Pitch
- Ideas must be submitted by Friday, Sept. 28, 2018 at 11:55 p.m.
- Applications accepted through Canvas or thegoldenpitch.net
- Business Development Workshop will be held on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, at 3:30 p.m.
- Final deliverables must be submitted by Friday, Nov. 2, 2018, at 11:55 p.m.
- Finalists will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2018
- The Golden Pitch Competition at Grambling State University to be held on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018, at 6 p.m.
Louisiana State University Shreveport – Pilot Pitch
- Ideas must be submitted by Friday, Sept. 28, 2018, at 11:55 p.m.
- Applications accepted through Moodle or pilotpitchla.com
- Business Development Workshops to be held on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, at 3:30 p.m., and Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018 at 3:30 p.m.
- Final deliverables must be submitted by Friday, Nov. 2, 2018, at 11:55 p.m.
- Finalists will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2018
- The Pilot Pitch Competition to be held at LSUS on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018, at 3:30 p.m.
Northwestern State University – Inferno Pitch
- Ideas must be submitted by Friday, Sept. 28, 2018, at 11:55 p.m.
- Applications accepted through Moodle or infernopitch.com
- Business Development Workshop to be held on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, at 1 p.m. in Russell Hall, Room 107
- Final deliverables must be submitted by Friday, Nov. 2, 2018, by 11:55 p.m.
- Finalists will be announced on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018
- The Inferno Pitch Competition will be held at NSU on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018 at 3pm in Russell Hall, Room 107 – Winners to be announced in Natchitoches Room at 4:30 p.m.
EAP will continue to expand the university business model competition initiative to other North Louisiana universities in 2019, with the goal of funneling winners from each school to the Louisiana Startup Prize.
