Big Idea Pitch Competition
Maybe you've got a new idea for a business? Come pitch your big idea at the NIU Business Olympics. Meet like-minded entrepreneurs and get valuable feedback from judges and potential investors.
Special Invited Judges
- Ken Bahk, Managing Partner at Kaleidoscope Health Ventures
- Steven Byers, CEO Byers Brewing
- Nick Dinges, CEO Dinges Fire Company
- Griff Ehrenstrom, Principal, Clarite Advisory LLC
NIU Faculty Judges
- Daewoo Park, Associate Dean
- Tim Michaelis, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Bart Sharp, Mike and Kristina McGrath Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Christine Mooney, Barsema Professor of Social Entrepreneurship
- Furkan Gur, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship
- Jon Briscoe, Professor and Chair of the Department of Management
Guidelines
All students who register will be provided guidelines on the best way to prepare their pitch. Individuals and teams (two-five members) have five minutes to pitch your new business idea to a panel of judges who will be rating it on the strength and feasibility of your idea. Please note that no slides, visual aids or prototypes will be allowed.
Key Questions Your Pitch Should Address
- What is your technology, product or service? Briefly describe what you sell and the need it fulfills... what is the problem and what is your solution... how do you eliminate/reduce the "pain"
- Who is your target market? Briefly, state who you are selling this product or service to... how large is the market... what industry is it in?
- How do you expect to make money/what is your business model? Describe the sources of revenue and how you intend to get the product/service to the buyer.
- Who is your competition? Competition is positive as it confirms/verifies that a market exists... all products and services have competition.
- What is your competitive advantage? What makes you different/unique... Why do you have an advantage over others... How will your company provide this product or service better than the competition?
- Who is behind the company? "Bet on the jockey, not the horse"... Explain how your experiences give you credibility... you, your team, your advisory board, etc.
Elements of an Effective Pitch
- When possible, tell a story
- Have a "hook... an early statement that grabs listeners' attention
- Be passionate, powerful, and energetic
- Be goal-oriented... end with a specific outcome in mind... a request
- Be succinct, concise and clear
- Pitch your business model more than your technology... don't overwhelm with technology or statistics
- Don't cram... a little less info is better than speed talking
- Revise regularly
- Practice, practice, practice... pitch a friend or spouse... record and critique yourself
Big Idea Pitch Video: Important Deadline and Instructions
Recorded videos for the Big Pitch competition are due no later than Friday, March 25, 2022.
Please submit your Big Idea Pitch video using a single Google Drive link; make sure that sharing permissions are set so "everyone with the link can edit." Test that the sharing permissions have been properly selected before submitting your team's video. Last, click the "Submit Big Idea Pitch" button below to finalize your competition submission.
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