Innovation Guelph is ready to host its first “Startup Royale” pitch competition.
The organization helps ideas “start, grow, and thrive by cultivating entrepreneurs, developing powerful partnerships and supporting innovative initiatives” in the city of Guelph.
Startup Royale will be hosted September 10, specifically for Guelph startups led by entrepreneurs aged 18-29.
“If you’ve ever tried to get initial seed funding for your startup, you’ll know that it’s no walk in the park. Young businesses in particular often lack the funds required to build initial prototypes, conduct market validation or to simply pay the bills,” wrote Innovation Guelph. “In an effort to provide Guelph’s top youth-driven startups with investment capital, Innovation Guelph has teamed up with CBaSE at the University of Guelph to create a unique pitch competition where entrepreneurs can win cold cash for their startup.”
20 contestants will be given two minutes to pitch their startup to a panel of judges. They’ll then select the top five teams to move on to the second round. Those semi-finalists then have five minutes to present their idea again and take questions from the judging panel. All five finalists will receive seed investment, with proportional amounts to be determined by the judges.
Rob Murray, a cofounder at Intrigue Media who focuses on business strategy, will speak at the event.