Plug into the entrepreneurial community at CSUN, where you can connect with mentors and investors, find new team members, and compete for cash prizes!
Fast Pitch winners will receive:
Grand Prize: $2,000
2nd Place: $1,000
3rd Place: $500
Audience Choice: $500
Applications are due Sunday, October 27th.
See below for more details!
WHAT IS FAST PITCH?
Now in its 5th year, CSUN Fast Pitch is an "elevator pitch" competition where students have three minutes to pitch their startup idea to a panel of judges and audience. The competition is hosted annually by CSUN's Nazarian College and generously supported by the Marine Family.
WHY ENTER FAST PITCH?
Fast Pitch is a great way to receive feedback and advice on your business idea, get exposure, and prepare for the "Bull Ring" New Venture Competition in Spring 2020, where $70,000 in prizes will be on the line!
TEAM FORMATION
Have an idea and looking for additional team members? Or looking to join an existing team? Attend our workshops or start a discussion on the Fast Pitch Canvas page!
STUDENTS INTERESTED IN COMPETING
It's highly recommended (though not required) that you attend the workshop series in the weeks leading up to the application deadline to discover more about the entrepreneurial process & journey, learn the "lean startup" method, and meet like-minded students/future team members. The workshop schedule can be found below.
MORE INFO / QUESTIONS
Please see below for workshop/competition schedule and full competition rules. Also, if you are interested in learning more about last year's competition, please view our photo gallery, media release, or event program from 2018 to get a better feel for the competition, past ideas/winners, etc. With additional questions, please contact Ryan Holbrook, Entrepreneurship Program Director in the Nazarian College.
Andi recently retired as the leader of MTravel, the very successful Montrose host agency division, as well as the national leisure business (Allure Travel) for Corporate Travel Management. Previously, she worked at Hunt-Wesson Foods as the Product Manager of Peter Pan Peanut Butter, followed by several years at the Kellogg Company managing several large cereal brands, including Frosted Flakes.
Cesar Montoya is a real estate investor and founder of Ringaro Telecom, which offers hosted VoIP telephone services and other internet solutions to clients in Los Angeles and surrounding areas. Previously, he worked in strategic planning & analysis at Sony, where he led process and sales strategy, portfolio segmentation, and sales support and distribution for a $100M business line.
Nishit is a 3x entrepreneur, having built and sold 3 technology companies over the past decade. He's also a business advisor, speaker, musician, and writer. As the Founder & CEO of Triumph, he helps entrepreneurs and other growth-oriented individuals live closer to their full potential with an inspired life of action, meaning, and fulfillment.
Rozanne founded Yoga Sol Studio in 2012 with the goal of providing an upbeat, welcoming environment to yoga students of all levels in Yorba Linda and surrounding communities. Previously, she led a very successful media career, holding senior leadership positions at KTLA, KCBS, Warner Bros., and FX with responsibilities including research marketing, programming, and audience acquisition.
Application Process:
Applications are due on Sunday, October 27th, 2019. The application (submitted via Canvas) consists of: (1) a 2-3 page executive summary or 10-15 page slide deck (PDF), AND (2) a video not to exceed 1 minute (uploaded to YouTube).
Ground Rules:
1) The competition is open to ALL current CSUN students.
2) Individual students or teams may enter the competition.
3) Non-CSUN student team members are allowed, but only CSUN students can pitch.
4) The competition is intended for CSUN student-created, -managed, and -owned ventures.
5) Businesses currently earning >$15K in annual revenue are not eligible.
6) Businesses that have already raised >$50K in funding from outside sources are not eligible.
7) Both for-profit and non-profit concepts are eligible; however, the idea must address sources of revenue.
8) An individual may only be a member of one team.
9) 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from past Fast Pitch or Bull Ring competitions are not eligible.
The Entrepreneurship Program at the Nazarian College complements our students’ inherent energy and creativity with the skills and knowledge necessary to evaluate the feasibility of an idea and ultimately pitch, launch, and grow a new venture. Whether planning to create a business or bringing the entrepreneurial mindset to a larger organization, the program prepares students to confidently present to an audience while developing a strong action-bias and a willingness to experiment.
