Keiser University SEAHAWK TANK Pitch Competition
Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Keiser University Seahawk Tank Pitch contest provides undergraduate AND graduate students the opportunity to see their business goals and inventions come to life. At least eight (8) finalist contenders will present their ideas to a panel of industry judges in hopes of winning cash prizes at about $10,000.

• The Keiser University Pitch Contest is similar to “Shark Tank,” but students are not selling a portion of their company for funding
• The business idea must be an invention, a startup company or an early-stage company no older than one year.
• The student(s) will pitch to a panel of judges who will be acting as angel investors from whom the students are requesting funding.
• The student(s) will explain the amount of money needed to run their company over the next three years.
• Current and/or former student presenters can be a team, but the former KU student team members must first be approved by the competition’s executive director, Mr. George Stamas. At least one team member must be a KU student.
• There will be at least eight presenters at the pitch competition (two or more from each of five regions that are organized to include all KU campuses).
• Each campus will have a campus coordinator who will filter the applications and then submit their choices to their regional coordinator. The regional coordinators will process the applications and decide which two pitches from their areas will be entered into the final competition at Keiser University’s Flagship Campus on March 28, 2024.

Introduction & Requirements

• The final pitch competition will be held on Thursday, March 28, 2024 starting at 4:00pm at the Keiser University Flagship Campus’ Turner Education Center Auditorium
• The pitch competition is open to any undergraduate or graduate student currently matriculated at any of KU’s 21 campuses. The student can have any major or concentration and can be studying in any discipline, such as nursing, criminal justice, forensic accounting, business, etc.).
• The deadline for submitting application forms is March 1, 2024.
• The invention or business idea must be realistic and achievable, and include financial projections.

Contents of the Pitch

The pitch is limited to no more than five (5) minutes, so practice, practice, practice! The pitch should include:

• The product or service – Describe it clearly. Ensure that product and market research is done.
• Value proposition – Why would anyone buy your product or service?
• Opportunity – What problem or need in the market place is your product/service solving?
• Target market – What is it, and how will you approach and enter this market?
• Distribution – What mechanisms will you use to deliver your product/service to your customers?
• Financial projections – Three year forecast of revenues, expenses & startup costs. See PPT’s.
• Amount of funding requested – How will you spend the money?
• Exit strategy for your investors – How do your investors get their money out?
• Management team – Who is it, and describe the strengths and weaknesses of the team.

Recommendations to Create a Good Pitch

• Introduce yourself with a tagline (a brief story about how you arrived at your business idea, or a related thought. Keep it brief)
• Then, tell the investors (the judges) who you are, what your invention or business idea is, and what  you want from the investors
• Visuals are great! If your idea is an invention, please bring a prototype.
• Explain the opportunity (the value proposition)
• Then, make your pitch (see above content recommendations)
• One PPT slide must include three-year financial projections (including your assumptions)
• Keep the number of PPT slides to a minimum (five or six)
• Ensure each PPT slide has a minimum amount of text. Too much text is distracting. Use fonts that are large enough so the audience can read the slides from 30 feet away.
• Remember, the focus of the pitch is on YOU, not the PPT’s!
• Show enthusiasm about your idea!
• Practice your five minute pitch to your own selected audiences for feedback prior to presenting at the competition

Download the Student Guide Here

Contact

For additional information please contact your pitch competition campus coordinator who is overseeing your campus.