NIU Outreach is among the sponsors of the upcoming Stateline FastPitch Competition, an event that provides entrepreneurs throughout the region with the opportunity to pitch their business ideas in three minutes or less to a panel of judges from the business and investment community.
The Rock River Valley Entrepreneurship Center (RRVEC) is coordinating FastPitch, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, at NIU Rockford. The top three vote getters will receive cash and prizes to be used toward their businesses. The top prize is $5,000.
FastPitch participants must submit their business pitches to RRVEC in writing for pre-qualification by Wednesday, June 10. They will be notified regarding participation by Friday, June 12. Full details are available online at www.rrvec.com.
“All participants will receive valuable feedback and visibility from the judges,” said planning committee member Christy Snider, program manager for the Northern Illinois Technology Enterprise Center.
“The competition has generated a significant amount of support from community organizations and businesses from throughout the Rockford region,” she added. “We’re also hoping to generate more interest and participation coming out of NIU.”
Last year’s competition winner, Brad Harrison of Harrison Harmonicas, went on to take first place in the Innovate Illinois competition. The previous year’s winner, Eric Meyers of Board Coverz, was later recognized by both Fast Company Magazine and USA Today.
The upcoming FastPitch event will feature keynote speaker Tim Keane, director of the Kohler Center for Entrepreneurship and the Golden Angels Network at Marquette University.