PITCH PIT EXTRAVAGANZA!

Pitch Pit Extravaganza!

Selected entrepreneurs will each give a four-minute pitch of their business plan to a panel of investor judges in a “Shark Tank” format.  PowerPoint slides are not permitted. Think of it as the proverbial “elevator speech.”

After all of the pitches are completed, the judges will give detailed feedback. At the end of the evening, the person with the highest score will receive the opportunity to receive a Business Readiness Assessment coaching session with NEF coaches. Interested in pitching your own idea? Apply here!

Participants

Marc Alexander, Founder & CEO, Lite Tuition. the Pay It Forward Movement for education. Lite Tuition is the platform for students to use when paying tuition. Whether they are going to Trade School or College, students can leverage Lite Tuition to connect with contributors around the world for direct assistance with their tuition cost.

Kim Lavine, Founder & CEO of Hypersence, producer of groundbreaking wearable tech that is designed to help millions achieve dreams of a better life through improved brain performance. Its flagship product MemorySPEX lets consumers increase cognitive function up to 50%, gaining competitive advantage at work and at school, as easily as putting on glasses.

Rajeev Thakur, founder at Intuitive Design. Rajeev has developed a prototype of a a gas powered, electrically driven, autonomous snowblower, which the customer would wheel it out of garage into driveway and start via smartphone app. The robot will clean the driveway and inform the user when  done.

Tim Wilson, owner of Vital Pro Studio. Vital Pro Studio is revolutionary low-code/no-code application development platform that enables users to convert spreadsheets into robust, mobile-friendly applications, leveraging AI technology to simplify application development, safeguard assets, enhance efficiency, and drive growth.

Jonathan Marceau with Spelling Safari.  Jonathan’s company, Synapse Creations, develops educational software focused on improving educational outcomes while enhancing the teaching experience. Spelling Safari maximizes student learning through an adaptive, individualized experience, supporting the teaching process and providing comprehensive feedback. 

Judges

Our three distinguished Judges will be:

Amanda Lewan, Co-Founder and CEO of Bamboo Detroit

Jim Simpson, CEO of Blumira

Lindsey Kilbride, Principal at Detroit Venture Partners

Special Presentation

How to Own the Stage: Presentation Tips for Entrepreneurs

Whether you are pitching to investors, recruiting potential partners or employees, or introducing your startup to potential customers, how you present your message can have a huge difference on your success.

 In this brief talk, you’ll discover tips and tricks that will help you present with confidence including the keys to powerful posture, making consistent eye contact, gesturing intentionally to bring your pitch to life and communicating confidence with your voice. 

Practicing good presentation delivery skills will help you connect with your audience and turn a positive first impression into opportunities. Join us for 20 minutes of valuable input you can use to immediately up your presentation game and take your entrepreneurial journey to the next level. 

Barbara Boldt is an international facilitator and coach who specializes in helping introverted, tech managers and entrepreneurs to communicate clearly, confidently, and persuasively to accomplish their business goals. She is passionate about helping people improve their ability to pitch their big ideas so they can get traction and change the world.

Networking

Come join us in person to enjoy food and drink and conversation with members of the local startup community.

Remote Viewing

Portions of this meeting will also be available for viewing online via Zoom.  For remote viewing, select an Online Ticket when registering via Eventbrite once the link becomes available.

COVID Protocol

Depending on the current CDC risk level for Washtenaw County, visitors to Spark Central may be required to wear a mask while indoors. Currently, masks are encouraged and appreciated but not required.

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