Venture Asheville announces “Wicked Biz Pitch” competition

Here’s the press release from Venture Asheville:

Asheville, NC – Venture Asheville is offering entrepreneurs an opportunity to pitch their ideas in front of a panel of local business professionals, investors and peers. The Wicked Biz Pitch Competition will launch on Monday, September 30th, at Wicked Weed Brewing in downtown Asheville. Participants will be given two minutes to make their best pitch to a panel of judges. The winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize.

Each quarterly event will focus on a different industry or sector. September’s inaugural Wicked Pitch will be for “makers,” those who have made a product, a thing, or a prototype. Video submissions will be accepted beginning August 21st through August 30th. The ten entries selected to participate will be announced on September 13th.

The Wicked Biz Pitch Competition is the brainchild of Pam Lewis, Director of Entrepreneurship at Venture Asheville: “I’ve attended a variety of interpretations on this concept in other cities and have been consistently blown away – not only by the ideas presented, but also by the momentum in the entrepreneurial community in places from Boston to Franklin, North Carolina.”

“Asheville’s entrepreneur scene has great energy,” Lewis continued. “There are people here doing all kinds of amazing things and making all kinds of cool stuff and the larger community needs to know about it. Yes, the Wicked Pitch is a competition, but it’s also about shining a spotlight on area entrepreneurs and providing a platform for them to hone their presentations and to interact with each other. Ultimately, it’s about community and making connections, not trying to keep all the candy for yourself. Success encourages success.”

Rick Guthy, owner of Wicked Weed Brewing and an entrepreneur himself, looks forward to hosting the event.

“I’m really interested to hear the ideas out there and getting to see where they go. Sometimes you just need to put a little money behind a great idea and see where it takes the entrepreneur,” Guthy said.
Guidelines for submissions can be found online at https://www.facebook.com/VentureAsheville

About Venture Asheville

Venture Asheville is a division of the Asheville-Buncombe County Economic Development Coalition dedicated to nurturing and promoting the entrepreneurial community. They host annual interactive events, including Ignite Asheville, designed to highlight start-ups and connect them with resources, support, and each other in a collaborative working and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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About Jake Frankel
Jake Frankel is an award-winning journalist who enjoys covering a wide range of topics, from politics and government to business, education and entertainment.

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