Pitch your Great Ideas Here!
Innovative ideas are among society’s most precious resources. But only when they’re shared! A new competition at the University of New Brunswick is offering people the chance to refine their ideas and pitch them to a panel of judges for cash prizes.
Sponsored by the newly launched Pond-Deshpande Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UNB, the student pitch competition will take place on Dec 1, 2011, in the Wu Conference Centre and is open to students from all faculties across both UNB campuses, and to members of the public. The only criterion is a great idea.
Why a pitch competition? The pitch captures the essence of entrepreneurship: it identifies a pain (or problem) and explains why the competitive solutions are inadequate; it envisions the solution and explains how it is going to work. It tells us who is going to benefit. And last, but not least, it tells us why others should buy into the plan and support it. In a pitch, all of this is condensed into an intense one-minute speech by someone who has vision, drive, energy and passion.
The principal role of the Pond-Deshpande Centre will be to act as a catalyst to advance social and technical innovation and entrepreneurship in NB. By challenging people to pitch their great ideas at the pitch competition, the centre hopes to foster a more entrepreneurial culture at UNB and in New Brunswick.
All participants will get expert help in developing their idea and delivering their pitch. Calvin Milbury, CEO of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, will facilitate two workshops in November for participants:
- Nov. 4 - a “Tune-Up” session where students can vet their ideas and learn the do’s and don’ts of pitching their ideas.
- Nov. 30 - a “Boot Camp” where students will run through their pitches and receive feedback to help them refine their presentation before the actual competition on Dec 1.
Sponsored by the Pond-Deshpande Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the pitch competition is coordinated by UNB’s International Business and Entrepreneurship Centre (IBEC).
For more details, visit IBEC’s website, www.ibec.unb.ca, or contact the centre at ibec@unb.ca or (506) 453-4557. People interested in pitching their great ideas at the competition should complete the registration form (posted on the website) by Nov. 23.
