2015 COSE Business Pitch Competition

The Business Pitch Competition provides aspiring small business owners the unique opportunity to win $20,000 to get their idea off the ground while learning valuable insight from successful business owners who have discovered their key to success.

The final four applicants will be showcased at the fifth-annual Business Pitch Competition Finale which will take place on Thursday, May 7th. This exciting event allows the finalists to pitch their idea to a panel of experts and more than 200 members of the small business community. All finalists will receive a cash prize to help get their idea started... with the winner walking away with $20,000!

Qualifications

1. Entrepreneurs that are just getting started and have a great new idea
2. In business for two years or less
3. Total gross annual revenue does not exceed $250,000

How the Event Works

1. Provide an Executive Summary of your business or business idea (2 pages maximum). Executive Summary should include:

• Product or service description
• Target market and size of the market
• Business model (how does your venture make money?)
• Key resources – e.g. patents, design, etc.
• Management team, their experience and the functions each member performs
• Why your business is unique and why your team has an advantage over others offering a similar product or service

2. Film a short 2-minute video pitch: This video should complement your executive summary and show our judges why your idea is more worthy than others. You can do this on any webcam—the quality of the video itself will not be judged—it’s the content that counts.

3. Submit everything by the application deadline: March 19, 2015

4. The judging panel will review submissions and select the semi-finalists to participate in our formal pitch day in early April. The semi-finalists will present to our judges during our formal pitch day. All of semi-finalists must participate in our formal pitch day to be considered for participation in the final round. All semi-finalists will have a total of 15 minutes to present their best pitch and answer questions from our experienced judging panel. The panel will then select the final four (4) businesses that will move onto the final round presenting their idea to the expert panel at the Business Pitch Competition Finale Event on May 7th.

5. The final four businesses will present at the Fifth Annual Business Pitch Competition on May 7, 2015 at Music Hall in Cleveland Public Auditorium. Each business owner will have 15 minutes to give their pitch followed by in-depth questioning from our panel. At the finale of the event, our experts will identify the top pitches awarding each winner with prize money to help develop and build their concept. First prize wins $20,000, second prize wins $10,000 and third and fourth prize each walk away with $5,000 a piece.