RI Business Plan Competition to Host Elevator Pitch Contest Dec. 4

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island Business Plan Competition today announced that it will sponsor and host the annual Rhode Island Elevator Pitch Contest on Dec. 4, which will award $1,000 in cash prizes to the top presenters.

The deadline to apply online, at www.ri-bizplan.com, is Nov. 22.

Aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs will have 90 seconds to pitch their business idea, in front of a live audience, to a panel of judges, who will provide feedback. The event—free and open to the public—will be held 5:30 – 7:30 pm at Betaspring, 95 Chestnut St., Providence.

“Making a convincing case to potential investors and business partners is a critical skill for successful entrepreneurs, and the Elevator Pitch Contest provides a great opportunity to get immediate feedback from people who know how to build a business,” said co-chair Peggy Farrell, partner in the law of firm of Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP.

Prizes Totaling $1,000

Each presenter will make a 90-second presentation to a panel of judges, after which the judges will score the participants and give them feedback about the clarity and persuasiveness of their pitch. At the end of the event, cash prizes totaling $1,000 will be awarded to the best presenters.

Judges include Simon Campion, general manager of Davol Inc.; Scott DePasquale, executive chairman of Utilidata; John Gray, vice president of Biomedical Structures; Ann-Marie Harrington, president of Embolden; Cynthia Reed, president and CEO of LTR Holdings LLC; Soren Ryherd, founder of Working Planet, and Thorne Sparkman, managing director of Slater Technology Fund.

Registrations to make a pitch are being accepted online until 5 pm on Nov. 22 at www.ri-bizplan.com. People who want to watch, but not present, are invited and may pre-register at the same website until Dec. 4.

Sponsors of the 2014 Competition

Lead sponsors of the 2014 competition are Cumulus Media-Providence, Davol Inc., Edwards Wildman, Embolden, Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP, Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co., Ltd., and the Providence Journal Charitable Foundation.

Also supporting the competition are: Bank of America, Bank Rhode Island, Betaspring, Biomedical Structures, Brown University, Bryant University, Business Development Company, Care New England Health System, Center for Women and Enterprise, Centreville Bank, Cherrystone Angel Group, Collette Vacations, Deepwater Wind, Dimeo Construction Company, FM Global, Freedom National Bank, Gilbane Inc., Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, GTECH Corporation, Haverhill Incorporated, Hayes & Sherry Real Estate Services, InsureMyTrip.com, Johnson & Wales University, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Providence Business News, Providence College, Rhode Island School of Design, Roger Williams University, Santander Bank, Starkweather & Shepley, Teknor Apex, The Moore Company, The Washington Trust Company, Slater Technology Fund, Tech Collective, Utilidata, and Ximedica.

About the Competition

Established in 2000, the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition recently was named one of the top 40 business plan competitions in the country. To date, it has awarded more than $1.4 million in prizes to competitors developing companies across many industries.

In addition to awarding prizes, the competition hosts educational events in the months leading up to the application deadline in early April. They include business development, financial planning, and presentation skills workshops. In addition, the competition hosts the annual Rhode Island Elevator Pitch Contest. Complete competition information, including rules, application procedures, guidelines, and business plan resources, is available at www.ri-bizplan.com.

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