MJC hosts Fast Pitch Innovation Challenge
Modesto Junior College is hosting a “Fast Pitch” Innovation Challenge on October 19, 2016, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. in the Center for Advanced Technologies on East Campus.
The competition, sponsored by the Small Business Development Council and the MJC Business, Behavioral and Social Sciences Division, involves short presentations by selected persons with innovative and creative solutions to needs or problems they have identified in society or the local marketplace. There will be up to ten persons invited to present their innovative business or product concept at the MJC “Fast Pitch” event and the winner will receive a $500 prize.
MJC students, faculty and employees are eligible to present in this “Fast Pitch” competition. Presenters will be selected from individuals who submit a competition application prior to the October 4 deadline.
Three MJC faculty members will serve as competition judges who evaluate and score each presentation based predetermined criteria. The winner of the “Fast Pitch” competition will also be invited to compete in the Stanislaus Innovation Challenge competition to be held at California State University, Stanislaus November 17, 2016.
Each participant will make a brief verbal “elevator pitch” that cannot exceed two minutes and the use of technology is not allowed during the presentation. Each presenter may have one additional person at the front of the room during their presentation to display a single photo, proto-type, prop or banner, but the assistant must remain silent. No additional materials or product samples can be displayed or handed out to the judges during the competition.
Following each presentation, each judge has up to one minute to provide feedback to each presenter, who must remain silent. The judges then complete an evaluation score sheet.
At the end of all presentations, the judges’ score sheets will be tabulated and the presenter with the highest score declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the judges will confer to select the presenter they feel has done the best job presenting the most viable and innovative concept.
“Fast Pitch” applications and submission details are available at www.alliancesbdc.com/fastpitch. Applications for the competition must be submitted to the Small Business Development Council by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Applicants selected to present will be notified by email at least seven days prior to the event.