The McDermond Center will host the annual Pitch competition on March 18. Each team will have three minutes each to present their business ideas. The judges will give each team ten minutes to answer any questions. The judging panel comprises four businesspeople, two alumni, representatives from startup financing and a local business in Putnam county.
McDermond Center prepared for the Pitch Competition. director Steve FoutyBootcamp Series will be held on topics such as lean canvas, market validation and pitch deck. Fouty is available to help students who need more personalized guidance. co-president, DePauw Entrepreneurship Club Senior Kristina Mikhailova in her office hour.
Competitors who attend all four workshops will be awarded $4500, $1500, and $750 respectively for first, second, and third place. To receive the bonus awards, each team must have at least one member. McDermond Center will mentor the winner of Indiana’s Pitch competition and provide support. Fouty explained that we have sent students to other business centers off-campus, such as the Elevate Bootcamp. And one team won second in an Indianas Pitch Competition.
Fouty confirmed that the competition is open for all DePauw students, and not just management fellows. In fact, half of the competitors in last year’s competition were not management fellowships. This year, Fouty stated that 13 teams had applied for the competition. We hope to see more in coming weeks.
After attending three events, Linh Nayen, a management colleague, expressed her excitement for business and entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurship series provided valuable information about how to create a business idea using existing frameworks. She said that I learned so much by attending these events and I am excited about working on my ideas with my friends. Pre-engineering Shaelynn, a freshman, said that the entrepreneurship series is very helpful. It has given me many tips about marketing and presentation skills. When asked about her plans for the competition she said, “My friend, I have a makeup marketing business idea.” We will speak to industry professionals for business strategy and ask peers about their makeup needs. We plan to get as many college students’ opinions on our products as we can, as they will be our target market.
Fouty spoke out about the DePauw campus’s openness to entrepreneurship ideas and said that they would always do their best to assist students. Students can also seek assistance at the Depauw Innovations sponsored by the McDermond Center and the Depauw Entrepreneur Group.
Many DePauw students rush to finalize their ideas in time for March 18th. They are looking forward to the Pitch competition. You can sign up to the entrepreneurship event if you are interested. Here.