The 2012 3-2-1 Quick Pitch Competition is a place where rookie entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to expert entrepreneurs from across the state of Nebraska.
This year’s 3-2-1 (defined as: 3 minutes – 2 pitch – 1 great idea) Quick Pitch Competition takes place on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, at The University of Nebraska – Lincoln Memorial Stadium West Stadium Club. It features divisions for high school students, two year college students and four year college students.
The students have an opportunity to speak for three minutes to educate the judges on their business idea, whether it is real or theoretical. The judges have a chance to ask questions about the business, and the student must be able to respond impromptu.
Winners receive $1,000 worth of money to invest in the idea, and all participants gain feedback from business professionals on their idea.
One student noted that “the judges brought an outsider’s point of view of things I never thought about.” Another noted that they built connections just by participation.
The judge panelists consist of more than twenty business professionals, including Dick Campbell, Co-owner and Landscape and Maintenance Department Overseer of Campbell’s Nursery and Angie Muhleisen, president and CEO of Union Bank and Trust.
Southeast Community College has had a winner each of the past two years in the two year college division. 2010’s winner was Kimberly King, followed in 2011 by Mr. Ryan Cairns with his pitch on “The Beer Emporium.”
To be in the competition, the student must first pass a preliminary screening, entering a brief abstract of the business to be judged. Preliminary submission for this year’s competition closed on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012.
Following the screening, contestants will present their pitches from 5:30 p.m. until completion.
“It is harder, in a way, because you have to really distill everything down into three minutes, and there’s no way you can cover everything,” stated Dr. Kathy Thornton, acting director of the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship.
“A lot of times, it’s easy to have an idea,” technology agent Leon Castro of NUtech Ventures, Inc. began, “but to work through all those details really show that you put in the effort to make sure that you understand your market, competitors and the variables that you’re going to need to be on top of to be successful.”
A variety of ideas were pitched at 2011’s competition, including a sushi bar, a civil engineering firm, and a jewelry company among other industries.
Doors open at 5:00 p.m. for this year’s 3-2-1 Quick Pitch Competition. More information can be found at http://go.unl.edu/inw