Similar to ABC Network’s Shark Tank, Baton Rouge hosts its own variety of pitch competitions each year. The stakes are higher than ever for the Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week Pitch Night event coming up in November: Organizers have announced $1 million in available prize money and more.
Undoubtedly, there is venture capital up for grabs in the Capital Region. But as Business Report details in its new cover story, the trick for the entrepreneur is knowing how to get his or her hands on it. The magazine spoke with nine veteran pitch competitors and 10 investors to find out what it takes to win.
“Practice, practice, practice,” says Zoé Ganch, who along with business partner Mallory Estopinal landed $4,500 in funding for their startup, Etch, at the LSU Student Incubator’s Venture Challenge this year. “I can’t even count how many times we read our script. We would practice at home, walking to the grocery store, in the airplane on our way to the competition, everywhere!”
Once you’ve practiced your pitch, Kyle Anderman says, you have to be ready to perform once you’re in front of the judges.
“By ‘perform,’ I mean that you have to captivate the audience and steal their attention from the very start of your speech,” says the co-owner of the Frosted cupcake company, who landed $8,000 at the LSU competition last year with his business partner Andi Carroll. “Viewing the competition as a performance forces you to place your focus on speaking to the audience and really selling your story.”
Along with Etch and Frosted, the new cover package features advice from local entrepreneurs behind College District, Hospitality and Senior Care Training Institute, IndiePlate, Pixel Dash Studios, True-See Systems, Better Day Health and Yellow Jacket. Read the complete cover story. Also, be sure to check out the advice 10 local pitch competition investors have for anyone preparing to take the stage. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
