There’s still time—but not much—for local entrepreneurs to enter the Innovation Summit Pitch Competition at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
The Oct. 2 event will award up to $10,000 in prize money, along with Make48 tickets, free tuition to business workshops and other entrepreneur-friendly awards, said Alicia Hooks, director of entrepreneurship at KCKCC.
The entry deadline is Sept. 12. Each entrant must upload a pitch video and other information through this website by next Saturday. Competitors will be invited to set up exhibits at the event’s Innovation Expo, where they can share their ideas with attendees.
Ultimately, six finalists will be chosen to give a three-minute pitch to a panel of judges on Oct. 2.
The competition will be set up in two divisions. One will be for people who have a business concept, but haven’t generated any revenue yet. The other is for businesses that are up and running and making revenue. Once registered, entrants will be offered free coaching from local business advisers as they prepare for the competition.
A complete list of the rules and procedures is available here.
This is the fourth year for the Innovation Summit.
In addition to the pitch competition and expo, the Innovation Summit will include the MECA (Most Entrepreneurial City in America) Challenge, a one-day event that challenges team of students to solve business problems for local startups. The MECA Challenge is hosted by the Center of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development (CEED). For more information, visit this website.
Kansas City Kansas Community College wants to use the Innovation Summit to connect local entrepreneurs with free help that can help them grow—not only with the wealth of resources at KCKCC, but through other organizations, too, Hooks said.
