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Stillman School of Business

Calling All Aspiring Student Entrepreneurs! Enter Pirates Pitch 2023!  

Students who participated in Pirates Pitch.Calling all student entrepreneurs! You are invited to compete for $16K in prizes in the Pirates Pitch Startup Competition!

The Stillman School of Business Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) is once again sponsoring the annual Pirates Pitch Startup Competition. All SHU students, both undergraduate and graduate students, are invited to enter the first round of this exciting event. In Pirates Pitch, student teams comprised of one to six students have an opportunity to develop and pitch an innovative startup idea to a panel of successful alumni entrepreneurs and faculty members who will serve as judges. At least one member of the team must be a student enrolled at Seton Hall University. Other team members must be college students as well, although not necessarily at SHU. Applications to enter the contest are due Friday, March 3.

To enter the contest, all you need to do is think of an innovative business idea and flesh out the first steps toward reaching your goal to launch that new venture. Or, if you are already running your own business, tell us your plan to expand and grow your venture. The student teams that advance to the Finalists round, to be held from 6:30–9:00 p.m. on Wednesday April 12 in the newly renovated University Center theatre, will compete for $16,000 in seed funding prizes and professional services.

2018 Pirates Pitch Finalists and JudgesJudges will select first, second, and third place winners. The first-place winning team will receive $8,000 in seed funding; the second-place will be awarded $4,500, and third place will secure $3,000. The audience will also have a chance to vote for their favorite team for the $500 Audience Choice Award. Our law firm sponsor, Santomassimo Davis LLP, will provide legal assistance to the Pirates Pitch finalists. Finalists teams will also receive a free subscription to LivePlan business development software. For more information, visit the Pirates Pitch website.

Don't know where to start? Don't worry! The Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship is hosting two free workshop events on Feb. 22 and March 1. Registration is required to attend. These workshops will cover how to enter the Pirates Pitch 2023 competition, how to create a winning application, and how to craft a compelling startup pitch. Each workshop will be held in Jubilee Hall room 528 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. and students can also participate via Microsoft Teams. Please register and find more information at the links below:

How to apply? 

  • To apply to Pirates Pitch, you can either write a two page Executive Summary about your business idea or business, or submit a three minute video about the business idea.
  • Please submit a written Executive Summary to Susan Scherreik by midnight on Friday March 3.
  • If you select the video option, you should post to YouTube and email the link to the video to Scherreik at [email protected].
  • Seeking assistance? CIE offers individualized coaching and mentoring sessions and will provide feedback on your business ideas. To make an appointment, please contact CIE Director Susan Scherreik at [email protected].

Categories: Business

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