Budding entrepreneurs have opportunity to pitch ideas, earn prize money during special week
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
Behind every product, service or business is someone who once had a dream, took a risk and had the determination to turn his or her idea into a reality.
Innovators and entrepreneurs play key roles in our society. And in recent years entrepreneurship has been credited with being a major driver of economic growth in the United States.
University campuses are filled with budding entrepreneurs who have the next great ideas for new products, services and businesses. Lipscomb University students will have an a unique opportunity to sell their ideas in hopes of earning seed money to launch them as part of the 2014-15 Kittrell Pitch Competition hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business.
“This competition gives our students an opportunity to create their own business models and to have the experience of pitching it to investors, which in this program are judges,” said Jerry Stubblefield, entrepreneur-in-residence in the Center for Entrepreneurship. “The center and this competition give every student the opportunity to innovate, create and pitch their ideas. You don’t have to be a business major to launch a new idea or product. This is for everyone.”
Stubblefield said a goal of this year’s competition is for the pitch teams to be interdisciplinary.
“Out in the real world people from different backgrounds or areas of expertise come together on committees or teams to launch products or initiatives or to accomplish a task,” he said. “We are trying to give our students a real-world experience by collaborating with other colleges in our programming and in encouraging students from all majors to participate in the competition and to be involved in the center’s programs.”
As part of this year’s Kittrell Pitch Competition, students will have the opportunity to make a four-minute pitch of their business model to a panel of judges. Their presentations will include an introduction of the management team, clear description of the product, problems solved by the product or service, customer segments, competitive analysis, unique value proposition and revenue streams among other information.
The panel of judges consists of four individuals not associated with the university or its Center for Entrepreneurship. Five winners will be selected who will each receive a $1,000 prize and automatic qualification for a $10,000 pitch prize in April 2015.
The competition is funded by a gift from Marty Kittrell, an alumnus and member of Lipscomb University’s Board of Trustees, in honor of his father, William, a 1941 graduate. It is set for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19 in the Ezell Center Chapel.
For more information click here.
The competition is part of Fall 2014 Global “E Week” activities sponsored by Lipscomb’s Center for Entrepreneurship set for Nov. 17-19. The purpose of the week is to encourage students who have an idea for a business or service to pursue it or to continue to build what they have started.
Activities begin with Business Market Day on Monday, Nov. 17 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The event, originally planned for Bison Square, will be held in the Bennett Campus Center due to expected inclement weather. Students and friends of Lipscomb entrepreneurship with a good, product, service or a cause are encouraged to register to participate to sell or distribute their wares or to share information about their business. (Registration is required and is open through Sunday, Nov. 16.) Click here for more information.
On Tuesday, Nov. 18 students are invited to attend a networking reception, sponsored by Lipscomb’s chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization, to meet with their fellow student entrepreneurs. The event is free and open to entrepreneurial-minded students of all majors. It takes place from 7-8 p.m. in the Ezell Center, Room 301.
The Kittrell Pitch Competition takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Students are encouraged to participate and need to submit a registration form by Monday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m.
The week’s activities conclude on Thursday, Nov. 20, with a group of students and faculty attending the 2014 NEXT Awards recognizing excellence in business and entrepreneurship in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
The Center for Entrepreneurship offers a number of ways to help these students gain access to resources, guidance and connections that may help them achieve their dream of starting a business even before they graduate. The program has a strong connection with the Nashville Entrepreneurship Center, offering students Nashville-wide connections and resources.
Founded in 2011, the center was created to serve as an academic hub for entrepreneurship, both on campus and in the community. The LCE aims to produce the next generation of innovative entrepreneurial leaders in the greater Nashville area and beyond.
For more information about Fall 2014 Global “E Week” or the Center for Entrepreneurship, visit www.lipscomb.edu/entrepreneurship.