Poets&Quants™ Launches 2nd Annual Entrepreneur Pitch Competition in Partnership with Olin Business School at Washington University of St. Louis

    RALEIGH, NC, January 12, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Poets&Quants, the definitive online publication for business education news, in partnership with Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, the No. 1 business school for entrepreneurship launches the 2nd annual pitch competition for budding entrepreneurs. This competition is open to all current undergraduate and graduate school students or any prospect interested in a graduate business school degree.

The competition, WashU Olin's BIG IdeaBounce® powered by Poets&Quants, will be conducted in three rounds. Round 1 is the submission of ideas by January 15th, 2023, via a registration form on Poets&Quants'. Select teams will be selected for Round 2 and will be required to send in a two-minute video elevator pitch. The top three teams will attend a live event in St Louis to present their business proposals to a panel of judges.

The winning team will be awarded $50,000 in seed money for their venture.

"We are thrilled to partner with Olin for this pitch competition," says John A. Byrne, founder and editor-in-chief of Poets&Quants. "Last year's event was remarkably successful and allowed us to not only award $50,000 to a spectacular start-up but also grant 2nd and 3rd prizes to the runner-up start-ups that showed tremendous promise. The value of an MBA in helping to create successful startup ventures is immeasurable. Top programs like Olin offer more than an educational foundation."

Byrne will serve as master of ceremonies at the final event. He will also be on the panel of judges.

Submissions to the WashU Olin's BIG IdeaBounce® powered by Poets&Quants will be judged on eight criteria:

1. Problem: What is the significance of the problem/issue being addressed?
2. Solution: How adequately does the product/solution address the problem?
3. Market: Is the target customer market significant, well-defined, and growing?
4. Competition: Is the solution clearly differentiated from its competitors?
5. Value Creation: Is the potential for sustainability — revenue, profits, and/or measurable social/environmental impact — clearly articulated?
6. Investment Needed: How will the prize money be used to further develop the next steps of the concept?
7. Team: Does the team have the skills, experience, and credentials to actually execute the concept?
8. Presentation: (only for Round 2/video submission) How was the overall pitch presentation, organization, and passion?

Learn more and submit your business idea by January 15th, 2023 to the WashU Olin's BIG IdeaBounce® powered by Poets&Quants pitch contest here.

About Poets&Quants:
Poets&Quants is the leading resource for complete coverage of graduate business education. We feature multiple tools and authoritative content, including consolidated B-school rankings, news and in-depth features, videos, podcasts, two searchable directories, and events, empowering our community with information needed to make decisions along their journey from pre- to post-MBA.

About Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis
Firmly established at the Gateway to the West, Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis stands as the gateway to something far grander. WashU Olin prepares our students to thoughtfully make difficult decisions—the kind that can change the world—through a values-based, data-driven approach to decision-making, informed by entrepreneurial spirit, experiential learning and a global outlook on business. Olin offers 13 graduate business degree programs, including specialized master's programs and the MBA, online and in-person, along with a four-year BSBA and a host of joint degrees and related minors. Learn more at olin.wustl.edu or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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