CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwired - Aug 21, 2017) - Twelve teams of student entrepreneurs from among Massachusetts' top public and private colleges and universities will gather at City Hall Plaza on October 13 for the fifth annual MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) of Cambridge Beantown Throwdown pitch competition.
The Beantown Throwdown is the state's largest multi-school pitch-off and a signature event of HUBweek, Boston's weeklong, city-wide festival celebrating the region's innovation and creativity. HUBweek was founded by The Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital and MIT.
Recognized as a major showcase for student startups, past Beantown Throwdown participants of note include medical accessory maker Mighty Well (formerly PICCPerfect), drug interaction database AskMolly, veteran's services resource site DropZone For Veterans, low-cost prosthetics maker NonSpec, and therapeutic garment maker Gentoo.
Startups competing this year will include teams from Babson College, Berklee College of Music, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Harvard University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), MIT, Northeastern University, Tufts University, UMass Boston and Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Each team will make a three-minute pitch and then be interviewed by a panel of innovators, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists with experience founding, managing, funding and consulting startups. After all teams have presented, Beantown Throwdown attendees will "invest" their $1 million dollars of MITEF Money in the companies that most impressed them. The companies securing the largest amounts of MITEF Money will be declared the winners. In addition to bragging rights, those startups will also receive prizes donated by a range of organizations supporting the Boston-area's innovation community.
Boston Globe Innovation Economy columnist and Nantucket Conference founder Scott Kirsner will return as moderator for the fifth year. A perennial Beantown Throwdown highlight, his panelists this year will include:
- Dave Balter - Venture Capitalist; CEO and founder of Mylestone
- Emily Levy - CEO and co-founder of Mighty Well; 2015 Beantown Throwdown winner
For more information, visit the HUBweek blog. Registration for the Beantown Throwdown, which sells out every year, is open now at HUBweek.org.
HUB Presents: MITEF Cambridge Beantown Throwdown
Friday, October 13
5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
The Hub at City Hall Plaza
About The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge is the founding chapter and one of 25 worldwide chapters comprising the MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. Offering more than 40 programs and events annually that inspire innovation, MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge initiatives facilitate critical one-on-one mentoring while providing team services that increase the skills and expertise necessary for entrepreneurs to succeed.
About HUBweek
HUBweek is a festival for the future that explores innovation at the intersections of art, science and technology. Founded by The Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT, HUBweek is a first-of-its-kind civic collaboration that brings together the most creative and inventive minds in making an impact in Boston and around the world. In the past two years, together with over 150 organizations and institutions, HUBweek has hosted more than 250 events, attracting approximately 20,000 registered attendees each year from 49 countries and 40 states.
Contact Information:
PRESS CONTACT:
Carro Halpin
CHEN PR for MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
781-672-3132
