Article: 11 Lessons From the Biggest Pitch Contest of All-Time

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Buffalo (New York) held a pitch competition on October 30th which dispersed $5 million to 11 startups.

The competition received 6,932 applications from 96 countries and every state in the United States (50).  The applicants were filtered to 113 semifinalists.  From those semifinalists 11 finalists emerged and pitched on October 30 at the Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, NY.  The monetary prizes: $1m (1 company), $500,000 (5 companies), $250,000 (4 companies) — a total of $5 million.

The event is organized by 43North, which will help incubate the 11 winners of the contest.

Randall Lane (Forbes) lists 11 Lessons From the Biggest Pitch Contest of All-Time  — Forbes, Nov 5, 2015

  1. Forecast Realistically
  2. Cover Your Assets
  3. Youth Can Be An Advantage
  4. ….Especially If Coupled With Gray Hair Expertise
  5. Think Big
  6. Don’t Lean on Powerpoint
  7. Bet on Yourself
  8. Own the Room
  9. Walk the Walk
  10. Validation Nation
  11. Don’t Rush