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Thunderbird School of Global Management
Receive specialized training! Pitch to real investors! Win prize money! Start your own business!
Pitch Competition Workshop Series
The Pitch Competition will feature a workshop series. Workshops are designed to help students develop their business ideas and get ready for our first major event The Pitch Qualifiers. Send us an email to get more information
Register and access workshops and videos!
Startup Finance & Investors @ September 29
Send us your email to access the videos.
Workshop: The Art of Pitching @ October 20th
Workshop: Legal aspects of Startups @ October 6
Due date for executive summaries is October 18, 2020 (12: 00 PM PST)
All participating students will give a 3-minute pitch (via Zoom), followed by a 5-minute Q&A from the judging panel. Best pitches will qualify for the Pitch Competition on November 13, 2020.
See more details below!
Thunderbird Pitch Competition Workshop Series
Whether you intend to participate in this upcoming Pitch Competition or just want to further develop your business ideas, be sure to check out these workshops!
Prof. Henrik Scheel
- From Idea to Opportunity @ September 8th
- Open Pitch & Mentoring Session @ September 15th
- Startups Finance & Investors @ September 29
- The Art of Pitching @ October 6th
- Due Date Executive Summaries @ October 18th
- Legal Aspects for Startups @ October 20th
- Pitch Qualifiers @ October 30th
The “Art of Pitching Workshop” will be held on Tuesday October 6th. 1:30-2:30pm.
This is a fast paced and interactive workshop. You will be trained by Danish, serial entrepreneur Henrik Scheel, who lives in San Francisco, California. Prof. Scheel brings a wealth of experience from the startup ecosystem in Silicon Valley and has worked with entrepreneurs in 25+
All workshops are recorded and available for those students. Send us an email to get access to all the workshops.
2020 Pitch Qualifiers
Qualifications for Participation
- Pitch Day Qualifiers is open to all on-campus and online students (MGM, MAGAM, and Undergraduate) *
- Students may enter as an individual or team, but all presenters must be Thunderbird students.
- All business ideas, both non-profit and for-profit, are welcome!
* Neither executive education participants or non-degree students are eligible.
Thunderbird’s 2020 Pitch Day Qualifiers
Friday, October 30th | 2:00pm - 4:00pm | Thunderbird Downtown Campus
About Pitch Day Qualifiers
Thunderbird’s 2020 Pitch Day Qualifiers provides an opportunity for all interested on-campus Thunderbird students to pitch their business idea in front of a panel of qualified judges, consisting of Thunderbird alumni, faculty, and staff. All participating students will give a 3-minute pitch, followed by a 5-minute Q&A from the judging panel. Once all students have pitched, the judging panel will then select the top businesses to advance to the final pitch competition in November. During this final pitch competition, students will have the opportunity to win award money for their venture.
Participation Requirements
In order to participate in Pitch Day Qualifiers, the student must submit a one-page executive summary by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18th at 12:00pm. By submitting the executive summary, the student/team is agreeing that they can give an in-person (or via Zoom) pitch on Friday, October 30th sometime between the times of 2:00am and 4:00pm.
- The one-page executive summary should generally highlight the problem, solution, market opportunity, business model/financial projections, unique value proposition/competitive advantage, and the team. Here is an executive summary template that you may use (though not required) as well as a sample executive summary for your review.
Sample Executive Summary 1
Sample Executive Summary 2 - Once the one-page executive summary is submitted, all participating students will receive information via email on when to submit their pitch deck, their presentation location/time, and the judging criteria.
- Top three ideas will be awarded $3,000, $1,500 and $1,000 and ALL students who qualify for Pitch Day will be guaranteed at least $500 in prize money!!
Submit Your Executive Summary by October 18th
For questions contact Eva Vazquez; eva.vazquez.ortiz@thunderbird.asu.edu
Thunderbird’s 2020 Pitch Competition
Thanks to alum Andy Ogawa, Thunderbird’s 3rd Annual Pitch Competition is happening!
"One of my fondest memories as a Tbird was the Pitch Competition - it taught me the value of a solid business plan when pitching to investors and gave me the foundation I needed to become a successful entrepreneur."
- Andy Ogawa '98, Competition Sponsor
Thunderbird’s 2020 Pitch Competition
Friday, November 13th | 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: Virtual
Students have advanced out of the Pitch Day Qualifiers round to compete in Thunderbird’s 2020 Pitch Competition.
- Support our students as they pitch their business ideas for a second time to a new panel of expert judges (including Andy himself). Each student/team will now give a 5-minute pitch followed by an 8-minute Q&A.
- Winners will be announced and award money will be rewarded at the close of the event.
- Refreshments and snacks will be provided.
- Whether you are pitching or not, you will want to attend this exciting event!
These events are co-sponsored by Thunderbird’s student-led entrepreneurship club, Thunderpreneurs. In conjunction with the Pitch competition, the Thunderpreneurs host various sessions throughout the school year to foster a thriving entrepreneurial and innovative community on campus and throughout the greater global Thunderbird network. Contact student club leaders, Vinu Raj Subramaniyan Radha or Terrance Balousek at vsubra33@tbird.asu.edu or terrance.balousek@tbird.asu.edu for any questions regarding Thunderpreneurs.