by By Miles Schultheis
NCC’s Follett Family Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship will host its second annual pitch competition virtually on May 13.
Seven students, who worked for 10 weeks developing their business ideas, will compete for the $1,000 grand prize. Second place will receive $500 and the audience choice will win $250.
Students were selected from a pool of online applications, which included background information and business ideas.
“The students were selected on the strength of their idea, especially if the idea had the potential to grow,” said Raja Bhattacharya, director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
“Students who were selected for the boot-camp participated in a [10-week] program where they further evaluated the validity of their business idea through market research, understanding start-up financing, prototyping sessions in the Fab Lab, mentoring sessions with business professionals and customer validation with focus group studies,” Bhattacharya said.
The Fab Lab is part of NCC’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Southside Bethlehem, offering access to equipment, instruction and enrollment for non-credit courses, open to the public by appointment. The lab offers woodworking, recording studios, electronic programming and graphical equipment.
“At workstations in the center’s Fab Lab, you can visualize the next Thomas Edison creating a prototype for a world-changing invention,” Bhattacharya said.
To attend the May 13 event, 3 – 5:30 p.m., RSVP by May 11 at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ncc-annual-student-idea-pitch-competition-tickets-150581373943
For more information on the Follett Family Center For Innovation & Entrepreneurship visit https://www.northampton.edu/student-services/center-for-innovation-and-entrepreneurship.htm
