Pitch Dingman Competition, the Dingman-Lamone Center’s signature annual competition, provides the university’s most talented student entrepreneurs the opportunity to compete for seed funding and exclusive access to venture development resources. Ever growing, the Pitch Dingman Competition has more prizes available than ever before– a pool of over $150,000 in cash prizes, as well as AWS credits and more.
Beyond funding, the competition provides a vehicle for entrepreneurs to learn the skills needed to grow their ventures and deliver a successful venture pitch. In the finals, the top student entrepreneurs deliver pitches to an expert panel of judges composed of founders and investors.
Use Pitch Dingman Competition to…
-
Find an entrepreneurship program
Students who make it into the semifinals of Pitch Dingman Competition are provided with workshops and resources to grow their ventures. Additionally, if a student has not yet taken Dingman Center courses or programs, they are encouraged to try out additional opportunities to accelerate the growth of their business.
-
Get business advice for my venture
The Dingman-Lamone Center offers an abundance of resources, including coaching and mentorship to students who apply to Pitch Dingman Competition. Finalists are assigned a designated venture mentor to coach them through the competition, and in addition Dingman-Lamone Center staff provide ongoing support and feedback on how to give a venture pitch and position a startup for success in a pitch competition.
-
Learn about entrepreneurship
The process of applying to and competing in Pitch Dingman Competition provide an excellent experiential learning opportunity for student entrepreneurs. Whether or not students make it to the semifinal round, the application contains questions that are vital to have answers to for a business to succeed. Students who advance in the process are given additional access to workshops and mentoring to learn more about entrepreneurship.
-
Mentor entrepreneurs
Regional and alumni entrepreneurs and business leaders are encouraged to get involved with the Dingman-Lamone Center to mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs. The six student startups who advance to the final round of Pitch Dingman Competition are paired with a venture mentor who has the subject matter expertise to help them grow their business.