RI Business Plan Competition: Elevator Pitch Contest

Participants Will Vie for $1,000 in Prizes

PROVIDENCE -- (Nov. 13, 2012) -- The Rhode Island Business Plan Competition, for the seventh consecutive year, will host the Rhode Island Elevator Pitch Contest on Dec. 5, in which participants will get a chance to win $1,000 in cash prizes.

Aspiring and established entrepreneurs will present their business ideas in 90 seconds to a panel of judges and receive immediate feedback. The free event, open to the public, will be held 5:30 – 7:30 pm at Harborside Academic Center on the Johnson & Wales Harborside Campus in Providence.

“The Elevator Pitch Contest provides a great opportunity to practice a pitch and get immediate feedback from people who know what it takes to build a business,” said Competition Co-chair Larry Davidson, principal with the Providence-based accounting firm of Kahn, Litwin, Renza & Co., Ltd.

Co-chair Peggy Farrell, partner in the law of firm of Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP, noted, “Knowing how to make your case to investors is a critical skill for successful entrepreneurs. There’s no substitute for a live audience and, in this case, a friendly one that’s rooting for everyone.”

Prizes Totaling $1,000

Presenters will each make a 90-second presentation to a panel of judges. Following each presentation, the judges will give feedback about the clarity and persuasiveness of the presentation. At the end of the event, cash prizes totaling $1,000 will be awarded to the best presenters.

Serving as judges are Jim Grace, president of InsureMyTrip.com; Gil Lantini, publisher of the Rhode Island Small Business Journal; Pamela O’Hara, president of Batch Blue; and Christine Smith, director of innovation programs at the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp.

Registrations to make a pitch are being accepted online. People who want to watch, but not present, are invited.