2023 Desjardins Elevator Pitch Competition
The Desjardins Elevator Pitch Competition highlights the University of Ottawa’s top startups each year. As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, the competition allows both those in business with “traction” as well as entrepreneurs that are still in the early stages of “validating” their ideas to pitch to a panel of judges for a chance to win prize money and progression services.
The evening also includes a networking portion as well as a keynote speaker who provides inspiration, advice and insight into their personal successes and challenges as an entrepreneur. Students apply to one of two categories: Validation or Traction recognizing a need to applaud and reward those early in the process, as well as those who are already in business having achieved significant milestones.
How It Works
Three categories
Idea Stage (3 finalists)
Validation Competition (3 finalists)
Traction (3 finalists)
Applications
Applications must be submitted by October 26th, 2023 11:59 pm and includes both a written application and a 2-minute video pitch submission.
Final Event Date
November 14th, 2023 at 5:30 pm
Categories & Prizes
Idea Stage
3 finalists
This category is designed for students who want to pitch their idea, benefiting from the pitching experience and the questions and feedback from the judges. To compete in this category you cannot have realized any traction to date such as sales or external funding, nor have you developed a final prototype or beta version. You may have started customer validation, but it’s really just an idea at this point!
$1,000
Validation Competition
3 finalists
This category encourages and rewards customer validation, and/or early prototypes. These ideas are still somewhat conceptual but work is being done to actively validate or build early working solutions. Applicants must still be at an early stage and cannot have realized significant traction to date such as meaningful funding, sales or other significant accelerants as determined by the selection committee.
$3,000
Traction
3 finalists
This category is for applicants whose business is further along the entrepreneurial path with achieved milestones and will compete on the bases of an executive summary and pitch. Applicants in this category already have some realized form of traction with their business such as:
- Technical and/or market validation completed
- Early customer adoption
- Prototype finalized/website operational
- Early sales or beta clients
- and/or, acceptance into an accelerator or incubator program.
$10,000
and professional services as described in the Eligibility Criteria and Competition Details
$5,000
and professional services as described in the Eligibility Criteria and Competition Details
$1,000
$2,000
and professional services as described in the Eligibility Criteria and Competition Details
Registration
Applications must be submitted by October 26th, 2023 11:59 pm and includes both a written application and video pitch submission.
Registration to attend and application to participate coming soon.
Eligibility Criteria and Competition Details
For more information contact Éric Nelson at
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