CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- College and university student entrepreneurs will soon battle for bragging rights and prizes during the 8th Annual Beantown Throwdown – focusing on markets ranging from digital healthcare and employment/staffing services to on-call delivery and personal grooming.
Hosted by MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) Cambridge and moving online this year, the region’s longest-standing and largest cross-college pitch-off competition will be held Wednesday, November 18, from 5:30-7 p.m. Registration and more information is available here.
Scheduled during Global Entrepreneur Week, the program features a representative from each team making a five-minute pitch, then responding to five minutes of questions from a judging panel with extensive experience in innovative technologies and business models. This year’s experts include:
- Gabi Zijderveld, Chief Marketing Officer, Affectiva
- Yadid Ayzenberg, Global Head of Sleep Devices and Director, Bose Corporation
- Ravindra Rathi, Director of Beverage Transformation, PepsiCo
- Jeremy Segal, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, Progress
The night will also include a fireside chat between Boston Globe Innovation Economy Columnist and Innovation Leader Co-founder Scott Kirsner and Rudina Seseri, founder and partner of Glasswing Ventures. With decades of experience advising, reporting on and investing in technology firms, the pair will share insights into some of the most important trends affecting entrepreneurs and their companies.
Given the virtual format and number of teams participating, the Beantown Throwdown this year will feature a two-part program – with half the teams pitching in the fall and the other half in the spring. The winning teams from the two sessions will then compete for top honors in a pitch-off to be held in the spring. Prizes will be awarded to all teams to help drive their entrepreneurial endeavors forward. More information will be made available at a later date.
For the fall session, contestants will include:
- Babson College: Busy Boda – a mobile phone-based motorbike hailing app initially targeting Kenya
- Boston College: Conditer – a patisserie where style meets the culinary arts
- Brown University: Cress Health – digital technologies for wellness and mental health
- MIT: Surge Employment Solutions – meeting human capital needs with formerly incarcerated people
- Tufts University: Cogna Technology – the next revolution in sleep
- Wentworth Institute of Technology: Watch the Krown – stylish and functional haircare products
“Early stage entrepreneurs can struggle to get visibility for their startups and to connect with potential investors, mentors and others who can help them succeed,” said MIT Enterprise Forum Cambridge Executive Director Katja Wald. “The pandemic has made that even more challenging. Additionally, most don’t get as many opportunities as they’d like to meet peers from other colleges and universities. Beantown Throwdown is designed to help overcome those obstacles while celebrating the creativity, vision and drive embodied in these student-run startups.”
The Beantown Throwdown is made possible by sponsors CHEN PR, Withum, Caldwell IP, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds and Morse. A limited number of sponsorship opportunities are still available; please contact Amy Goggins (agoggins@mit.edu or 617-650-2562) at MITEF Cambridge for more information.
About the MIT Enterprise Forum Cambridge
The MIT Enterprise Forum Cambridge is the founding chapter and one of the worldwide chapters comprising the MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. We offer a range of programs and events for any entrepreneur, anywhere, to facilitate critical one-on-one mentoring while providing services that increase the skills and expertise necessary for startups to succeed. Check us out on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or Spotify.
PRESS CONTACT:
Katja Wald
MIT Enterprise Forum Cambridge
kwald@mit.edu
(617) 253-8238