BIDDEFORD — Entrepreneurs, and owners of startups or small businesses are wanted to go head-to-head and pitch their business plan. Winners can earn between $350 and $1,900 cash.
PITCH York County, sponsored by Biddeford Savings Bank, is a program of Think Tank, located in Biddeford, in partnership with Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development, Heart of Biddeford, Engine, New Ventures Maine and Furman Gregory Deptula, LLC.
This is the second year for the event, said Heart of Biddeford Executive Director Delilah Poupore. She said the downtown revitalization organization is hoping that the Biddeford event will include applicants from the city.
“We would love to see a small business in Biddeford apply for this, even if it’s just to get the experience of pitching,” said Poupore. She said even if applicants don’t win a cash prize, the experience of pitching their idea and networking are also valuable. Those looking to apply can be coached on their pitch by Think Tank, she added.
There will be three pitch dates, Jan. 16, Feb. 13 and March 13. The winner and runner-up from each of these pitches, will compete on April 17 for the grand prize.
Each of the three monthly winners and second-place winners will win $750 and $350 respectively. The Grand Prize winner on April 17 will be awarded $1,200 and the runner-up will win $400.
Applicants must be an entrepreneur, startup or small business owner with less than $100,000 in annual revenue. There is no geographic restriction but consideration will be given to applicants who are interested in relocating or starting their business in Biddeford. Jurors will be comprised of entrepreneurs, banks, investors, law firms, and others.
“Season one was a hit, looking forward to returning as sponsor for season two — we expect it will be a home run!” said Charles Petersen, president of Biddeford Savings Bank.
The inaugural year’s Grand Prize winner was Surge Hydro and the runner-up was Thrivant Health.
“My primary goal in participating in the (PITCH York County) events was to hone how I communicated about Thrivant Health,” said the company’s CEO and President Michael Royals. “(PITCH York County) was hugely helpful in this regard, as it was the first time I had flown solo in a public venue, trying to explain a very complex topic with very short time constraints. The experience served me well, as I was able to take first place in last year’s Top Gun entrepreneur pitch-off.”
Royals said the contest also helped him network, which was important to him as he had recently moved to Maine from Colorado. His business is located in Portland.
For more information about the contest, contact PITCHYorkCounty@gmail.com or 774-768- 446. To register to pitch, visit http://pitchyorkcounty.com/#schedule.
— Associate Editor Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324, or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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