The SEEC Idea Pitch Competition presents students with a great opportunity to pitch their business idea to a panel of judges and a chance to win cash prizes. Idea pitch is a frequently used term, which literally means “tell me about your business within the time that it would take to ride up an elevator.”

Presenting yourself effectively is an essential tool in the business arena. A well-planned elevator pitch can open the doors to success. The ideas may be at any stage of development from creation of concepts or ideas to an established business.

Who should participate?

• Students with an idea to start a business
• Students who have started a company
• Students interested in enhancing their presentation skills
• Students who want to explore the idea of starting a company
• Students who want to demonstrate their ability to clearly communicate an idea to a group

Objectives:

• Create an opportunity for students to present their business venture or idea in an environment that promotes new venture creation and the spirit of entrepreneurship
• Award students on the merits of presenting their idea with cash prizes and certificates of participation
• Give students a chance to showcase their talent and passion for entrepreneurship

Format:

• The competition will be comprised of a prescreening process prior to the SEEC conference, three competition sessions, one semi-final round and one final round at the SEEC conference.
• Accepted applicants from the prescreening process will be invited to participate in one of the three competition sessions to be held.
• Colleges and universities may apply for one automatic entry into the competition. To be eligible for an automatic entry, an elevator pitch competition must be held on campus with the winner provided full travel to the CEO elevator pitch competition.
• Up to 15 accepted applicants will compete in each of the three competition sessions
• The chosen top 10 presenters from each of the competition session rounds will continue to the semi-final round
• The top six of the semi-final round will advance to the final round
• The top three and final winners will be announced after the closing session

General Competition Guidelines:

• The competition is FREE to enter and is only open to CEOSM (student members) attending the CEO conference
• Individuals may register by clicking the application link above and filling out the form
• An important consideration in any pitch competition is whether or not you should go public with an idea or product. If you have a unique idea or patentable product, you may want to consider entering the patent pending process to avoid the possibility of someone copying that idea or product. You may wish to consult an attorney who specialises in intellectual property matters.In addition, students and others who use university resources to invent or develop a product/service may be subject to university policy governing intellectual property.

SEEC Idea Pitch Guidelines:

• The purpose of a pitch is to QUICKLY get the potential investor’s attention, let them know what you have and get them to say, “Tell me more!”
• Distributing material, samples, and/or prototypes is permitted and encouraged
• The use of audio-visual equipment is NOT permitted. No PowerPoint, transparencies, slides or audio assistance is allowed. You would not have this available in an elevator, so it is not available for the competition.
• During the semifinal rounds, each presenter will be given a few minutes to answer questions at the conclusion of the previous presenter’s presentation followed by 90 seconds to make a pitch
• During the final round, each presenter will be given a few minutes to answer questions at the conclusion of the previous presenter’s presentation followed by 90 seconds to make a pitch
• Time will begin when the presenter begins to speak or at the conclusion of the 60-second break; whichever comes first

Judges and Scoring:

• The panel of judges will include entrepreneurs, consultants, venture capitalists, angel investors and other business professionals
• Individual submissions will be prescreened, and applicants will be notified if accepted
• At the conference, judges will use a scoring sheet provided by CEO that will be tallied at the conclusion of each presentation during the semifinal rounds.At the conclusion of each semi-final round, the judges will convene for up to 15 minutes to make their selection of the top six presenters for that semifinal round. These names will be announced during the lunch session.
• The chosen six presenters will then compete in the final round
• The winners will be announced after the final keynote session

For more business and career opportunities, check our opportunities section and subscribe to our weekly newsletters.