Pitch it to Me Student Competition

Get feedback, network with industry and polish your pitch.

Less pressure than Dragon's Den, our student pitch competition is based on the classic elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is designed to give a compelling overview of a product, service, or idea taking no longer than the duration of an elevator ride.

The finalists for the competition have 2-3 minutes on video to pitch their idea and earn a spot in our finals for cash prizes. For more information please email mawji@nait.ca

Pitch competition

Stay tuned for details on the next Pitch it to Me Student Competition!

Suggested Pitch Structure

How should one go about delivering a great pitch? There are plenty of fantastic resources and videos online – read below for a general guide to elevator pitch structure. Creative and unique pitches are always welcome, but judges will be looking for the criteria below.

Problem: outline the problem or pain point that your business will address.
Solution: describe your solution to the problem.
Idea and business model: describe in further detail how your solution works. Outline how your idea makes sense as a business – how will you make money? How will you fund the venture? Are you expecting to deliver investors with a return?
Market validation: can you show that there is an appetite for your idea?
Progress to date (if any): have you generated any revenue? Have you secured any funding? Do you have any goals or targets?
The ask: a good pitch has an ask or a call to action. Do you need funding? Expertise? Space? Simply to meet for coffee to discuss? The judges will want to see an ask that makes sense for the business – and should feel compelled enough to want to explore your idea further.

Judging

Judges will be provided with a rubric for use in scoring pitches. Competitors will all have a chance to see the rubric during the opening ceremony. The top three competitors will be chosen according to the judges’ discretion, with the rubric being used as a guideline.

The rubric addresses several items, each associated with a score out of five.

Grabs your attention with a hook and has an interesting opener.
Clearly presents their product or service.
Explains the need or niche that their product or service will fill.
Explains the benefit and competitive advantage of the product or service.
Delivers the pitch with passion, heart, and enthusiasm. Is memorable.
Financial viability and investment potential.

Past Pitch Competition Winners

2023 - Pitch winners

1^st place - Chris Small with "Faculty of Skin"
2^nd place - Mehrab Shikder with “Wire Financial”
3^rd place - Tora Matys with “EZNOIZE”
Runner up - Dawn Osland with "CMGP Calculator"
Runner up - Sawyer Lane with "Parachute"

2022 Pitch winners

1^st place – Mikayla Balfour with "Grit Snow"
2^nd place – Ayanna Caesar with "Efficiency Coaching"
3^rd place – Braden Richards with "Chef Fresh"
Runner up – Pratham Lakhani with "Cleto"
Runner up – Gurmukh Singh with "Team Super Foods"

2021 Pitch winners

1^st place – Niki Kearl with "Blu Orthotics Lab"
2^nd place – Lydon Horne with "Air Management YEG"
3^rd place – Samuel Yasinski with "LIV Property Management"
Runner up – Aliah Agito with "Clotheroo"
Runner up – Sonja Holowaychuk with "SelfWoven"
Runner up – Isaac Firman

Watch 2021 pitch competition

2020 Pitch winners

1^st place – Shelvie Fernan with "Drive and Fetch"
2^nd place – Patrick and Chaimae Cunningham with "Paddy Bakes"
3^rd place – Andrea Espinoza with 'Epico Designs"
Runner Up – Michelle Nip with "Meech Bakes"
Runner Up – Mahdi Hussain and Ahad Khalil with "Team Alpha"

Be Engaged