Tuesday night at Humber College, business support agencies from across the western GTA launched a new and exciting pitch competition for entrepreneurs. The Unlock Your Big Idea pitch competition is designed for entrepreneurs who need capital to make their vision come to life.
Participants can benefit in different ways – from the contacts they will make, and the exposure they will get, through to the more than $60,000 available in awards. Through all stages of Unlock Your Big Idea, help and advice will be available from business experts and entrepreneurial support agencies that have partnered on this competition.
“Unlock Your Big Idea is the most significant pitch competition we’ve been involved with,” says Denise McClure, Manager of the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre at the City of Brampton. “I know there are a number of new or starting Brampton businesses that could make some serious noise at this competition.”
Jacob Farjou, a long-time Brampton Entrepreneur Centre client and owner of Trainsmart Wellness, is planning to participate in Unlock Your Big Idea. “This is a great opportunity for my business. We have some innovations planned; and the awards available, along with the exposure we could get, could really provide a boost.”
The available prizes are significant. The competition will see first place awards of $10,000 and $2,500 runner-up prizes presented across five categories:
• Best “Investment Ready” Company
• Best Disruptive Innovation
• Best New Innovation for Small Business
• Best New Innovation For Tech Business
• Audience Choice
Applications for Unlock Your Big Idea close on March 18, 2016, so interested entrepreneurs will need to act quickly. To help guide applicants through the process, the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre is hosting Information Sessions on February 23 and March 14 at South Fletcher’s Library at 6 pm.
A panel of business experts will select finalists from among the applications and announce them on April 7, 2016. Finalists will have about a month to fine tune their presentations before the final pitch competition, scheduled for May 5, 2016 at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) campus.
The pitch competition is being delivered through the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs members in Peel and the support of the primary sponsor, the Ontario Centres of Excellence. Partnering organizations include: The Research Commercialization (RIC) Centre, Humber College and Humber Launch, UTM and i-Cube, the Mississauga Small Business Enterprise Centre, and the Brampton Entrepreneur Centre.
All the details on Unlock Your Big Idea are available atwww.UYBIpitch.com. You can also stay updated by following the competition on Twitter:@uybipitch.