The Pitch Competition
Explore. Engage. Evolve.
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The Purpose of the Pitch
The event was created in partnership with the Appalachian State Center for Entrepreneurship, Appalachian GEAR UP, and our GEAR UP district school systems in Western North Carolina. The purpose is to inspire and prepare future entrepreneurs and community problem solvers by providing them a larger platform where they can share ideas, work products, and solutions in a collaborative and competitive environment.
The Structure of The Pitch
The event is structured like the TV show ‘Shark Tank,’ where student teams present for 5 minutes to a panel of successful professionals. There are 2 categories of competition:
1- Creative Pitch
2- RootEd Community Challenge
The creative pitch will be an open ended challenge for products, services and ideas. The RootED Community Challenge will be only for teams that are enrolled in the RootED program and have created community minded solutions.
Judging the Pitch
Both middle school (5-8th grade) and high school (9-12th grade) teams are invited to participate in each category and will be judged according to their performance. Details below:
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Middle School
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Maximum 5 Minute Pitch
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Scored on pitch, idea, prototype
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High School
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Maximum 5 Minute Pitch
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Scored on pitch, idea, research, and prototype
Awards
1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place