Wanted: Elevator Pitches

Got an idea to improve life in New Orleans? Enter the 2010 PitchNOLA competition and you could win $5,000 to make it a reality.

PitchNOLA is an “elevator-pitch” competition — an overview of a product or service that can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride — for ventures designed to effect positive social or environmental change in New Orleans.

Now in its second year, the competition gives local social entrepreneurs the chance to pitch breakthrough ideas for social change to a panel of celebrity judges and an audience of more than 200 business professionals, social activists and community members.

The competition takes place at 6 p.m., Nov. 17, at Freeman Auditorium in the Woldenberg Art Center on the Tulane uptown campus. To enter, individuals or teams must submit a 500-word proposal online no later than Friday, Oct. 15.

The top 10 to 15 proposals will earn a spot in the live PitchNOLA competition at Tulane. Anyone interested in participating as an audience member may visit this same website to register to attend.

The individual or team with the most innovative idea will win the $5,000 prize, but all the participants will benefit from the opportunity to promote their ventures, get feedback on their presentations and make valuable connections with potential partners and investors.

“Through events like PitchNOLA, we think we can encourage the growth of innovative small businesses, and those businesses are key to keeping Tulane graduates and entrepreneurs in the New Orleans area,” says Chris Williams, president of the Tulane Entrepreneurs Association.

PitchNOLA is sponsored by Social Entrepreneurs of New Orleans, the Tulane Entrepreneurs Association, Tulane Social Entrepreneurship Initiatives, the A. B. Freeman School of Business and the Young Leadership Council.

This year's PitchNOLA is generously funded by Tulane Parents Council member Penny Hart. The event is free and open to the public.