Any idea, either for a business or suggestions to improve a business, must be submitted by 6 p.m. on Oct. 31 through the CougarPitch website. Any member of the UH community with a valid uh.edu email address and a current PeopleSoft ID can enter the competition.
“We’re looking to foster entrepreneurship all across campus,” said Alan Lish, a spokesperson for the competition. “We feel like there is plenty of it here on campus, and we’re trying to encourage that.”
This is the first year of the competition at UH, but plans to make it an annual event are in the works.
Currently 30 applicants have submitted ideas, with entries divided into categories for BBA Entrepreneurship students and all other UH students, faculty and staff.
An ‘elevator-pitch’ is a quick and concise summary of an unique business proposal. CougarPitch specifies that each summary should be two minutes or less. Applicants needing help can find resources at www.cougarpitch.com that will help develop and hone their prime pitching prowess.
The Wolff Center will choose 9 to 12 finalists between the deadline and Nov. 8. In the final round, a panel of prominent business alumni will listen to each pitch and award the grand prize to the best idea, with cash prizes of $500 and $250 awarded for second and third place respectively.
The winners will then have an option to turn their idea into a reality, but Lish stresses that it will take a commitment from the student to see that through. If the winners are not interested in developing their idea, the Wolff Center can match them with a mentor or give them suggestions for the next steps they can take to get their idea off the ground.
“Great ideas don’t just come from students at business schools,” Lish said. “Innovation can come from other sources and entrepreneurship is about creating value out of an opportunity.”
For more information, rules and eligibility visit www.cougarpitch.com or contact the CougarPitch Administrative Committee at [email protected].
