Online Pitch Competition

We see amazing ideas at MakeHaven every day. Being able to make a good pitch for your idea can make the difference that gains allies and wins funding. We want to help inventors and entrepreneurs find their voice and practice to compete in larger pitch competitions the Entrepreneur Innovation Awards. To this end we are hosting an online pitch competition for the extended MakeHaven community. We invite anyone with an invention, creative work, or idea that can become a business to participate.

The Competitors Pitching

The lineup:

1. Bill Carpenter Milford-TV
2. Clovia McIntosh Toddler Tub
3. Lucas Lazarre Uwai
4. Thomas James Francis The Soshow
5. Porrata Elstein Simply Sashing
6. Jeremy von Oy Simple Speeds
7. Tom Freudenthal Ration Box
8. Ernest White E&E's Integrity The Holy And Evil War
9. Nupur Garg Caspia Health

Once 10 pitch spots are now full. You can join as an audiance member, or signup to be a competitor in the next pitch event (date TBD).

Prizes 

• $500 for first place
• $250 for second place
• $100 for third place
• $100 audience choice

We are interested in enhancing these prizes and in future pitch competitions. If you are interested in sponsoring please contact info@makehaven.org

Inspiring ventures will also receive referrals and followup advice to help them access additional resources to support their venture.

Eligibility

• Must be a resident of Connecticut or a MakeHaven member. 
• Those wishing to compete must register in advance and have their application to pitch approved by staff.
• Spots are limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, as approved by staff.
• Half the 10 pitch spots are reserved for MakeHaven Members. 
• Can pitch for any revenue earning venture, an idea, prototype, new business or new product line.
• Spots to pitch are reviewed by staff on a first come first serve (staff staff will email with determination)
• MakeHaven may follow up with additional questions to supplement application to compete.

Preparation

Prospective participants are encouraged, but not required to participate in "How to Pitch" and "Pitch Refining Workshop" activities.

Pitches will be 5 minutes long with 3 minutes for questions from the Judges. 

Competitors will be expected to create a presentation (using screen share) that gives listeners an understanding of:

• Problem.
• Vision.
• Unique Value Proposition.
• Team.
• Milestones.
• Business Model.
• Competition.
• Needs / Next Step.

Judging Criteria

• Creativity - Innovation or novelty of approach.
• Feasibility - Technical feasibility and team attributes. 
• Market - Potential of business success in market, understanding of market including lived experience.
• Impact - Positive impact on customers, world and the entrepreneur if a successful venture.
• Presentation - Do judges feel inspired by power of presentation.

Judging of pitches will be conducted by a panel of leaders and entrepreneurs recruited from the community. As a makerspace our perspective naturally put a high value on inclusion of physical prototypes or products as part of the presentation but a physical product is not required criteria. This competition is also aimed to be a stepping stone for those at an early stage, so the criteria will be looked at through the lens that accounts for the stage of the venture. In this way an early prototype may beat out a refined pitch which has already won funding elsewhere.

Judges

Margaret Lee Co-Director of Collab	Ryan Zaveruha Distinguished System Architect Digital Lighting Networks Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc.	Onyeka Obiocha Managing Director Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale

Agenda

6:35 - Welcome and overview of event

6:40 - Pitches and questions (5 minute pitches, 3 minute questions from judges)

8:00 - Audiance Choice Voting (judges deliberate)

8:10 - Questions and comments from audiance. (judges continue to deliberate)

8:20 - Annoucement of of winners.

8:30 - End of formal event, participants and guests are invited to stay and network informally following event.