Imagine walking into an elevator and finding yourself face-to-face with a Venture Capitalist, CEO or hiring manager of your dream job. Do you have what it takes to pitch your business or professional skills before they reach their stop? Give it a shot in LaunchNET's annual Elevator Pitch competition.

$1,000 in cash prizes with awards going to best business pitch and best personal pitch!

**The audience will be voting for contestant superlatives (i.e. most creative or most environmentally friendly). Winners will receive a gift card to a local restaurant in Kent!**

Those not competing can network and grab refreshments while networking with other Kent State entrepreneurs and start-up organizations!

Free food and refreshments will be provided.

There are several ways to participate and attend:

1. Entrepreneurs (Competitors must be Kent State Students) - jump into the competition and pitch your business or yourself (personal pitch). You will have 90 seconds to pitch while actually standing inside the elevator in the University Library, the tallest building in Portage county!

2. Attendees - stop by the event to network, grab food, and watch the pitches.

3. Student organizations and University departments - join the event by holding down a booth. Market your organization.

The competition and pitching portion of the event is open to Kent State University students only. This includes students from all majors, class levels, and campuses.

Anyone is welcome to attend the event and watch the pitches, network, and grab pizza.

There is no specific dress code for the event. For those pitching we recommend wearing whatever helps you communicate your company or personal brand. This can be professional dress, jeans and a t-shirt from your business, or whatever you see fit. The focus is on your elevator pitch and communicating your brand?

Yes, all elevator pitch competitors actually deliver their elevator pitch from an elevator in the Kent State University Library. The elevator will be "parked" on the 2nd floor and you will pitch to a timekeeper and a camera. The attendees and judges will watch your pitch "live" on a variety of televisions at the event.

The panel of judges is made up of two local entrepreneurs and two Kent State staff members. They will be looking at professionalism/polish, salesmanship, content, and time management. Because these are only 90 second pitches, the biggest question/determining factor will be deciding which entrepreneurs/presenters they would most like to follow-up with.

There is a prize pool of $1,000 plus giftcards for local Kent restaurants. The $1,000 will be split between a best business and best personal pitch, and any runner-ups. There will also be audience superlatives and a few other surprises!