De La Vega Innovation Pitch Competition and Incubator Program

Schedule

Most workshops and events will be held in the De La Vega Innovation Lab in Barsema Hall.

*Workshop to be held in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology. Please refer to the event on the NIU calendar for details.

Note: dates and times are subject to change. Accommodations can be made for conflicts.

Registration

Registration to participate has been extended and is now due by noon, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. Following the Mentor Roundtables event on April 12, video submissions of your team's pitch must be submitted for our internal judges to select the 15 finalists who will pitch at the April 20, 2024 competition.

Online Register Form

Agreement to Enter the Competition

By clicking "agree" in the registration form, and by participating in the competition in any way, the person agreeing to this agreement, on their own behalf, and also on behalf of all the other team members that:

• All cash prizes will be awarded in the form of payments payable to each individual you list here in equal amounts. The people listed here will be considered members of the team no matter what, even if they do not do anything or even if they do not show up. Any disputes among team members must be resolved by the individuals involved. If the university or the College of Business receives a claim to anything other than an equal share of any winnings, all payments for that team will be withheld until the dispute is resolved by all team members listed here, in a manner satisfactory to the College of Business. The person registering a team is acting as an agent for the other members of the team and must make all the members of the team aware of this rule.
• The decisions of the judges of the competition are final, and cannot be contested in any way, including, without limitation, in any court, tribunal, arbitrator or mediator.
• Neither the university, the College of Business, nor any of their employees, agents, contractors, volunteers or the judges of the competition is responsible for any problems whatsoever with the competition, including, without limitation, preparation, planning, setting up and execution, and each team member agrees not to make any claim concerning anything related to the competition, including, without limitation, action before any court, tribunal, arbitrator or mediator.
• Each team member registered for this competition agrees to waive and release, and covenants not to sue, make any claim against the university, the College of Business, nor any of their employees, agents, contractors, volunteers or the judges of the competition is responsible for any problems whatsoever with the competition, including, without limitation, preparation, planning, setting up and execution and each team member agrees not to make any claim concerning anything related to the competition, including, without limitation, action before any court, tribunal, arbitrator or mediator.

Competition Information

Visual Aids

Pitch decks, prototypes and physical materials will be permitted at the pitch competition.

Key Questions Your Pitch Should Address

• What is your technology, product or service? Briefly, describe what you offer and the need it fulfills in the market. What is the problem and what is your solution. How do you eliminate/reduce the "pain."
• Who is your target market? Briefly, state who you are providing this product or service to. How large is the market? What industry is it in?
• How do you expect to make money/what is your business model? Describe your revenue and cost structure.
• Who is your competition? Competition is positive as it confirms/verifies that a market exists. All products and services have competition.
• What is your competitive advantage? What makes you different/unique? Why do you have an advantage over others? How will your company provide this product or service better than the competition?
• Who is behind the company? "Bet on the jockey, not the horse." Explain how your experiences give you credibility, your team, your advisory board, etc.

View pictures from 2023 Pitch Competition

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