Elevator Pitch
Throughout the WPI academic year, students, faculty, staff, and alums may attend Elevator Pitch workshops and help sessions to create, fine-tune, and practice delivering an elevator pitch.
Reg Form for Elevator Pitch Prep Workshop - Feb 19, 2009
What is an elevator pitch?
The Collaborative for Entrepreneurship & Innovation defines an elevator pitch as "...an engaging, interesting, and compelling statement made in the approximate time span of an elevator ride, used persuasively to sell a business idea – perhaps to an investor or new partner, a personal value proposition – perhaps to a potential employer, or a project idea – perhaps to a potential team member or advisor.
But, there are a million definitions on the web - just Google "elevator pitch" and see!
5th Annual WPI Elevator Pitch Competition
February 26, 2009
$250+ in Cash Prizes!
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR 2009
Three Categories of Pitches
Registration required
Click for more information
Wikipedia defines an elevator pitch as:
"An elevator pitch (or elevator speech) is a brief overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The pitch is so called because it can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (say, thirty seconds). The term is typically used in the context of an entrepreneur pitching an idea to a venture capitalist to receive funding. Venture capitalists often judge the quality of an idea and team on the basis of the quality of its elevator pitch, and will ask entrepreneurs for the elevator pitch so to quickly weed out bad ideas. It is said that that many of the most important decisions made on the floor of the United States's House or Senate are made "in the spate of an elevator ride" as a staff aide whispers into a congressman or senator's ear while they head down to the floor to cast their vote. A variety of other people, including intrapreneurs, project managers, salespeople, and job seekers, commonly use elevator pitches to get their point across quickly."
When You're Ready to Make a Pitch
When ready to make an elevator pitch, WPI offers two opportunities, one for WPI students and one for the greater business community, where students may also participate.
The student program is a competition, where all eyes are on cash prizes and a few minutes of fame for a personal, project-based, or business idea pitches. Detailed information and a registration form is available at Annual 60-Second Elevator Pitch Rally.
The greater business community opportunity occurs at a monthly WPI Venture Forum program called Spotlight on Entrepreneurs Anyone with a technology business idea may make a "60-second technology business pitch" to an audience of technology entrepreneurs, service providers, and investors to generate investment or employment interest in the technology business concept. Spotlight on Entrepreneur pitches are pre-screened for acceptability. The "spotlight" turns on at approximately 7:15 p.m in the Campus Center Odeum from September through June on the second Tuesday of each month. For a helpful form, eligibility, rules, and registration information, please visit the Spotlight on Entrepreneurs web site page.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: February 26, 2009 11:24:46