New Pitch Competition for College Students

An entrepreneurship center in Bloomington has launched a new pitch competition geared towards college students across the state where winners could take home a $5,000 cash prize. The Mill has created the Crossroads Collegiate Pitch Competition, a spinoff of its flagship pitch event.

The organization says the event was inspired by the success of its Crossroads competition going virtual last fall.

“Going virtual allowed us to expand our reach considerably,” said Andy Lehman, head of accelerator programming for The Mill. “We were able to attract not only more startups, but also more judges, and more diverse participation from every corner of Indiana.”

Lehman says the Mill has seen a surge in student interest in 2020 of its various programs. He says students are thinking about becoming entrepreneurs earlier in their education.

“It’s the right time to feed their interest and build on the current momentum in our startup ecosystem,” said Lehman.

Lehman pointed to Elevate Ventures recent report that shows pre-seed investments in Indiana more than doubled to 100 from 46 in the prior year.

To apply to Crossroads Collegiate, students will submit an executive summary, a pitch deck, and a 10-minute pitch video by April 12.

A panel of judges made up of Indiana entrepreneurs and angel investors will view the recorded pitches at the semi-finals.

Finalists will conduct a live virtual pitch April 29. Click here to learn more.

The 2020 Indiana Venture Report by Elevate Ventures shows some interesting and surprising trends in venture capital deals in Indiana.  Elevate Ventures Chief Executive Officer Chris LaMothe shared the details on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick. Watch below: