Introducing university pitch competitions: An analysis of the first five years

Abstract

This paper centers on the introduction and development of a business pitch competition in a medium-sized Midwest university in the United States, held from 2014-2018. First, the study analyses the evolution and development of our competition over the first five years of its implementation, detailing successes, missteps and pivot points during this time. Second, it presents a comparative study of other university competitions of varying sizes across the United States, highlighting the wide range of pitch programming design used by other institutions. Third, interviews were conducted with stakeholders from past competitions to understand further potential areas for improvement, which included student participants, community business leaders that participated as judges, and partner and university administrators. This process immediately improved the competition, and the advantages and disadvantages of the event are discussed. Lastly, a road map or best practice template is provided for other institutions to help implement their own version of a pitch competition. This template can serve as a foundation for other universities and/or organizations to implement a successful competition in a shorter timeframe.