Introduction: The Pirate Pitch Competition allows high school students to learn the basics of entrepreneurship and idea generation. It’s a fun way for high school students to put their entrepreneurial know-how to the test and win cash prizes and Seton Hall University scholarships.
Competition Format: Students will submit a 350-word business idea that describes an innovative product or service. With the idea, ten finalists will be selected and invited to present their ideas. Answer the following questions:
- What problem does your product or service solve
- How do you propose making money?
- Who are your customers and why will they buy your product or service?
- Who is your competition and how will you be better than the competition?
Pitch: Ten finalists will be selected in early November and invited to the event to present their business ideas to a panel of judges from Seton Hall University on Friday, November 18. This event will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (eastern) in a virtual format on Microsoft Teams.
Judges: An independent panel of judges reviews all entries. The finalists will be invited to present their business idea (or discuss a business they now operate) in five minute presentations to a panel of judges. The judges will score all finalists based on their written submission and oral presentations to determine a 1st and 2nd place winner.
Prizes:
- 1st Place Winner: $2,500 cash prize. Plus $10,000 scholarship to attend Seton Hall University ($2,500 annually)
- 2nd Place Winner: $1,000 cash prize. Plus $6,000 scholarship to attend Seton Hall University ($1,500 annually)
- All other Finalists will receive a $4,000 scholarship to attend Seton Hall University ($1,000 annually)
- Audience Choice Award: $300. Audience members vote for their favorite student finalists. The winning finalist will be awarded the $300 Audience Choice Award.
Eligibility
All high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Submission deadline
September, 2023 - TBD
