Telus Pitch is returning next week for its second year, in partnership with Canadian investor and lead judge, Arlene Dickinson. The small business competition is offering a grand prize of $100,000 cash, and an additional $50,000 in prizes.
The small business competition is offering a grand prize of $100,000 cash, and an additional $50,000 in prizes.
Telus will award $100,000 at the Telus Pitch Live Summit on July 30, and $10,000 will be donated on behalf of the winner to Telus Friendly Future Foundation. The remaining two grand prize finalists will receive a cash prize of $10,000. Additional awards include the community impact award, the most promising startup award, and the multicultural business of the year award.
Arlene Dickinson, as well as Telus’ executives Suzanne Trusdale and Roi Ross, will be available to entrepreneurs at the event to provide quick pitch tips to those small business owners who wish to take a shot at delivering a 60-second elevator pitch live to enter the contest.
The judges this year include Dickinson, Garrick Tiplady of Facebook Canada, Suzanne Trusdale of Telus, Jennifer Safruk of Samsung Canada, Rich Osborn of Telus Ventures, and Kevin Au-Yeung of Innovision.
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Last year’s semi-finalists included iMerciv, a wearable that detects obstacles that may lie directly in one’s path for blind and semi-blind people. JamStack, a guitar amp that attaches to smartphones, along with Flashfood, which allows grocery stores to sell surplus food at discounted prices where also finalists at the 2017 competition. iMerciv, came out on top, winning the $100,000 top prize, with JamStack and Flashfood receiving $10,000 as runners-up.
Telus Pitch 2018 received 3,000 entries from small businesses across Canada. The competition also took an opportunity to support earlier-stage startups doing social good. MakerKids was named the winner of the competition’s impact $10,000 impact prize, as well as the option to donate $10,000 to a charity of their choice.
This year’s contest opens on May 1 and closes June 23 at midnight. The live pitch event winner will be announced on July 30. Next week’s event, held at Workhaus Commerce Court in Toronto, will launch the competition, as well as offer the 60-second pitch opportunity and a fireside chat with Trusdale and Dickinson.
More details can be found on the competition’s event page.
Image courtesy Telus