How It Works

Eligibility

1. Both teams and individuals are welcome to participate in the Elevator Pitch Contest. 
2. A pitch may only be entered once.  Each pitch may only be presented in one track.
3. For the EPC only, any individual with a business idea is eligible to pitch, regardless of MIT affiliation.
4. The subject of the pitch must be your own work, or the work of your team.  Any entrants discovered to be pitching others’ ideas without appropriate consent will be immediately disqualified, and any awards must be returned.
5. Individuals or teams must not have accepted any outside funding for the idea being presented. Companies may present if they have accepted no funding and have not commercialized the product/service being pitched.
6. The entrant must be present on the day of the event to participate.  No written or phone-based presentations will be accepted.
7. Contestants are expected to behave respectfully to all other contestants, sponsors, judges, volunteers, and audience members.
8. Contest organizers retain the right to refuse entry to anyone.
9. There is no fee for entry.
10. Contestants must enter the competition through our online registration form.  As part of the registration process contestants must complete a 200 word public summary of their idea, however this summary will not be shown to the judges prior to the competition and will not influence the results of the competition.

Process 

• Entrants must complete the online registration form to be included in the contest
• Pitches will be delivered in a random order determined the day of the event. If you miss your assigned slot, you may not be permitted to present.
• Only one individual or team member may do the actual pitch.
• The pitch must be no longer than 60 seconds.  Contestants will be cut off at the end of their 60 seconds.
• No props or visual aids of any kind are allowed during the presentation.
• Decisions of the judges are final, and may not be appealed.
• The contest will consist of two rounds.  In the preliminary round contestants will be competing with other entrants in the appropriate industry category.  Selected entries from the preliminary round will enter the Grand Finale to be held the same day.
• In the Grand Finale, one overall winner, an Audience Favorite, and two runners-up will be chosen.  
   
  

Track Definitions

BioTech

Entries in the BioTech track may include, but are not limited to:

• Pharmaceutical technology
• Medical Devices
• Health care industry offerings 

Energy

Entries in the Energy track may include, but are not limited to:

• Efficiency 
• Clean Tech 
• New Materials 
• Alternative power 
• Energy storage

Development

Entries in the Development track may include, but are not limited to:

• Social entrepreneurship
• Non-profit 
• Private growth strategy
• Nutrition
• Education

Mobile

Entries in the Mobile track may include, but are not limited to:

• Mobile devices
• Mobile applications/software

Products & Services

Entries in the Products and Services track may include, but are not limited to:

• B2C/B2B Products (hardware, software, consumer products, etc.) 
• B2C/B2B Services 
• Retail

Web/IT

• Internet services, applications/software, and related technologies
• Telecom, networks, and infrastructure

Awards

Monetary awards for the event will be determined soon.

Judging Criteria

1. Presentation

• Body Language/Charisma
  
• Clarity
  
• Articulation  
• Passion
  

2. Opportunity

• Market identification
  
• Size and attractiveness
  
• Target customer identification
  

3. Solution

• Value proposition
  
• Differentiation
  
• Financial viability/profitability
  

4. The Big Question

• Do you want another meeting?