Competitions offer great opportunities to raise capital for an idea, startup or existing business.
Several organizations at Iowa State University sponsor various competitions and partner with other organizations each year to provide support for new startups. Competitions vary from elevator pitches, business plan competitions and social entrepreneurship competitions for students, faculty, and the public.
The Iowa State Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship hosts several annual pitch competitions throughout the year, including the college-by-college pitch offs, which culminate in a university-wide pitch competition. Participants often utilize workshops to prepare pitches throughout the school year to refine their product market fit or presentation skills in order to prepare for application to CYstarters, ISU Startup Factory or other accelerators.
EDIR also partners with BioConnect Iowa, IowaBio and several other statewide organizations for pitch competitions.