PitchNOLA 2010: Innovative Ideas for Change Have you been dreaming up an innovative solution to a persistent social challenge? Do you think you have part of the answer to our city's crime problem? Have you figured out how to do curb-side recycling for free? If you answered “YES!” to any of these questions, please submit your innovative idea by October 15, 2010 for a chance to win $5,000. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Entrants need to electronically submit a 500-word proposal here by October 15, 2010, 11:59pm, and be prepared to pitch their ideas to a live audience and a panel of local "celebrity judges." PitchNOLA is an "elevator pitch" competition open to social entrepreneurs with ideas for ventures that will effect positive change in New Orleans. The event, which is in its 2nd year, is OPEN TO ALL community members in the Greater New Orleans area. The competition takes place at 6 p.m., Nov. 17, at Freeman Auditorium in the Woldenberg Art Center on Tulane University’s uptown campus. Although PitchNOLA is not a business plan contest, entrants are encouraged to put concrete thought into submissions, and should address the following in their proposals: • The social problem their venture will address • A description of the product or service they will provide • Ideas for marketing their product or service • An estimate of initial cost and revenue projects and/or sources of funding With two rounds of competition, one winning idea will be chosen, and the winner will take home $5,000 to spend on the development of their venture. The competition provides all participants with an excellent opportunity to pitch their innovations to a panel of “celebrity judges” and a live audience (200+) of accomplished business professionals, social entrepreneurs, and activists. Social entrepreneurs behind the ideas selected will have the opportunity to attend a short workshop on effective pitching, taught by Chris Schultz, Founder of LaunchPad, and Ralph Maurer, Tulane Professor of Entrepreneurship. The motivation behind PitchNOLA is to: •Build a pipeline of social entrepreneurs with breakthrough ideas for social change in New Orleans •Inspire and educate the community-at-large about innovative ideas from talented community social entrepreneurs •Allow emerging and early-stage social entrepreneurs to hone their pitch and presentation skills •Provide a platform to facilitate connections and partnerships between people with resources, useful contacts, and similar ideas AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION Audience members will play a key role in this competition since one of PitchNOLA’s aims is to better connect social entrepreneurs with resources and contacts. Audience members will be provided with feedback cards on which they can provide constructive criticism as well as ideas on funding, people to connect with and anything else related to the idea. To participate in PitchNOLA as an audience member, please register at the link below. SPONSORS: Social Entrepreneurs of New Orleans (SENO) Tulane Entrepreneurs Association Tulane Social Entrepreneurship Initiatives Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business KEY DATES •September 15th: Application process begins •October 15th: All entries must be submitted by this date •November 1st: Second-round social entrepreneus/idea that have been invited to present •November 10th: Selected presenters will receive coaching from Chris Schultz of LaunchPad and Tulane Professor of Entrepreneurship, Ralph Maurer, to further develop their pitches •November 17th: PitchNOLA will be held at Tulane University before a live audience of 200+ ELIGIBILITY •The contest is open to individuals and teams from the New Orleans region; however, only one (1) individual from each team may present at the PitchNOLA event. •Ventures/ideas can be at any stage: just an idea in the mind of the entrant, in start-up mode, or an established venture. •Ideas must seek to create social value and impact in a sustainable manner. The model can be nonprofit or for-profit, as long as social impact is central to its mission. JUDGING CRITERIA A Grand Prize of $5,000 will be given to the team/individual with the most innovative idea. Upon award of funds, the winning team will be required to submit a budget to the Selection Committee to determine the appropriate use of the funds. Evaluation Criteria: Applicants will be judged on both the quality of their pitching skills and the social value of their idea. Idea Criteria Social mission Level of possible impact Scalability Innovation Financial Sustainability Pitch Criteria Clarity of concept Conciseness Credibility