Students were given the opportunity to learn more about giving an entrepreneurial pitch through multiple workshops in the Student Innovation Center.
The workshops took place Monday and are set to occur again Oct. 1. The goal of the workshops is to help students who have business ideas put together a quick business pitch to hook listeners.
Following the presentation, students created their own pitches and were given advice on how to improve those pitches.
Megan Graettinger, the assistant director for experiential programs, said the event was good for students interested in pitching a business idea for the Fall Startup Pitch Competition.
“It’ll help [students] feel more prepared and competitive for the competition, but also just pitching in general, it is a good life skill to have,” Graettinger said. “It’s a great opportunity just to learn a little bit about how to pitch in any setting that you might need in the future.”
Eric Franczyk, a freshman in entrepreneurship, said he was able to take important information away from the workshop.
“One of the biggest things was that your pitch needs to be concise,” Franczyk said. “You’re cutting to the point, and having a strong hook and a strong closer is vital to conveying a good product to the judges.”
Furthermore, Franczyk said he was able to better understand how to create and present a pitch.
“Just being able to practice a pitch was something I hadn’t done much of,” Franczyk said. “It was cool to be able to show up, get taught, and then be able to interact and practice it.”
Sondra Wilson, a junior in entrepreneurship, said she learned how to keep her pitch concise.
“Learn vital points to not get stuck in the weeds of what we’re trying to talk about,” Wilson said. “Otherwise, you will go over the time you want to hit. [It] happens fast.”
Additionally, Wilson said she could use this experience for the upcoming competition.
“[The workshop] gave an exact model for exactly how to frame a pitch and work an idea into that framework,” Wilson said.
These workshops are intended to prepare students for the upcoming Fall Startup Pitch Competition, which is scheduled to take place from Oct. 7 to Oct. 10 and provide students with the chance to win up to $3,000.
Graettinger explained the details of the upcoming Fall Startup Pitch Competition.
“It lasts five days total,” Graettinger said. “We’ve got four days [that] are just the first round. October 7th through the 10th, we will give away three prizes in two different categories those days, six total. Those people will advance to the finale on October 15th, with an opportunity to win the big prize of $3,000.”
More information on the student pitch workshops can be found here, and more about the Fall Startup Pitch Competition can be found here.
