William Pitt Union Ballroom

Can you convince a complete stranger in less than a minute that he or she ought to learn more about your business or idea...and possibly fund it? If you're good, you can. It's something that seasoned entrepreneurs do easily.

Your elevator pitch is what opens the door to an audience with a potential funder. If your pitch could use some polish...if you enjoy watching others deliver theirs...or if you're looking for the next big thing, this event is for you. Entrepreneurs and businesses seeking to raise funds will have the chance to make a 60-second pitch to a panel of startup experts, plus an audience of prospective investors and other interested parties.

Because the goal of an elevator pitch is to not to close the deal but to secure a meeting to more fully explain the merits of the idea, the panel will critique presenters' delivery rather than the substance of their proposals. Our judging panel is composed of CMU professor William Courtright, Pitt Professor Bob Atkin, Small Business Devlopment Center consultants Gregory Rice and Jeffrey Plowey and SBDC Advisory Board member Joe Ott.

The winner of this event will be announced on Thursday, November 20th at the wrap-up celebration and receive $50.

William Pitt Union Ballroom

This competition is very similar to the elevator pitch competition mentioned above. The only twist is that students are given a business idea to pitch. In this competition every student will pitch for one of three business plans in their own unique way.

Competitors will once again be judged on delivery by the same panel and the winner will receive $50.

Click here for case topics and rules!

William Pitt Union Ballroom

Teams of up to five students have three days to generate as much profit as possible with only $5 to start with. The team to make the most profit will be the winner and will be announced at Thursday's wrap-up celebration. The challenge begins on Monday, November 17th at the Global Entrepreneurship Week Kick-Off event. Rules and more details can be found here.

William Pitt Union Lower Lounge

Young, local entrepreneurs will be present to network with students. This event is set-up in the style of speed dating, where entrepreneurs will stay stationary and students will move from one to the next, getting a chance to talk with each person face-to-face. There will be time at the end for everyone to mingle and for student entrepreneurs to network with each other. We will also be showcasing student entrepreneurs by hanging posters with details about their business at the event. Refreshments will be provided.

Simon Auditorium, Tepper School of Business, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

Come hear Michael Kobold [bio], James M. Sweeney [bio], and Professor Lloyd Corder [bio] speak about their entrepreneurial experiences.

The first portion of the event will focus on the speakers. Each speaker will have time to talk about their background, what their company is, how they started it, the challenges of being an entrepreneur, and anything they find important to succeed as an entrepreneur. Each speaker will have 15-20 minutes to talk, after which students can ask questions.

After the panel portion of the event, the event will move to a reception area for food and drinks. There, students will have an opportunity to talk with each other, and the panelists in smaller groups or one on one.

Panther Hall

Ever considered living in one of Pitt's Living Learning Community? Come visit the Entrepreneurial Experience LLC in Panther Hall! Meet current residents and take a tour of the floor. There will be a short info session followed by pizza and a movie in the lounge.

William Pitt Union Kurtzman Room

This event will wrap up the week's events. Hear speaker Peter Lambert, founder of Red Star Iron Works, talk about his experiences and answer questions. $5 Challenge teams will present their work from the week and winners of the challenge and pitch competitions will be announced. Pizza will be provided.

Carnegie Mellon University - Newell-Simon Hall 3305

Come hear Olympus, an on-campus association involved in entrepreneurship (link), speakers talk about funding opportunities for students with ideas. Angel funding, business competitions for funding, innovations works, and many more will be discussed. Attendees will also be able to form teams to get started with a business plan or elevator pitch to compete for a prize. Prizes will be given for the best concrete ideas.