Northwest Arkansas entrepreneurs have a chance to turn great business ideas into something more so long as they can explain what they want to accomplish in about a minute.
The public is invited to attend the next G60 Pitch Contest, which will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12 at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers. It’s occurring during the NWA Business Expo.
There’s no charge to attend the contest, but both audience members and those interested in making a pitch are asked to register at this link.
G60 Pitch Contests, which were held earlier this year in Bentonville and Siloam Springs with more than 140 people attending each event, play an important role in helping aspiring entrepreneurs hone their messages.
At the Aug. 12 event, a $1,000 prize will go to the top G60 participant based on an audience vote. A second $1,000 prize will go to the top presentation as decided by a judges’ panel.
The G60 Pitch Contests, which were started by Jeff Amerine in 2011, promote startups, help to improve business founder’s communication skills, and they increase “creative collisions” in emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems. It results in a more vibrant entrepreneurial community that has a positive impact on the economic development of the region.
At the most recent G60 Pitch Contest in April in Bentonville, Biobotic Solutions was one of the winners. The company, which is led by University of Arkansas finance major Michael Iseman, has a business plan to improve tissue handling using robotics in pathology laboratories. Brett Amerine, who runs the G60 contests, said Biobotic Solutions now has interest from venture investors across the U.S.
Past G60 participants include entrepreneurs who have turned great ideas into companies. They include Douglas Hutchings of Silicon Solar Solutions, Ryan Frazier of DataRank, Keith Hoelzeman of Treatsie.com and Brandon Eason of Passenger Baggage Xpress.
Additional information about the pitch contests is available at the G60 website.
