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Entrepreneurship & Small Business Center

Blueprint to Skyline Business Pitch Competition

If you've got an idea for a company or a fledgling business that you're trying to grow, here's a chance to get some additional training and feedback from experts – as well as a shot at some money to invest in your project.

Wake Tech's Business Pitch Competition, sponsored by Wells Fargo, provides everyone a chance to share their ideas, test viability and compete for funding to support creating a venture or growth for existing businesses.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and reside in or operate a business in Wake County.

Wake Tech Pitch Competition graphic

The competition has three categories: early-stage (pre-revenue) entrepreneurs, business owners with less than two years since formation and business owners with more than two years' experience. Three winners will be selected from the five finalists in each pitch category:

  • Skyline (older than two-year businesses) – $7,500
  • Structure (less than two years since formation) – $5,000
  • Blueprint (early-stage or idea business) – $3,000

The goal is not only to help you perfect your pitch, but also to help you learn how to turn your idea into a viable business. Applicants can submit more than one idea, but all submissions are due by February 23.

The finals are March 12 on Western Wake Campus.

Frequently asked questions

Before February 23, participants must attend at least one of three webinars in a series designed to prepare participants for pitching. Once completed, the application process will open for each participant. The next step is for participants to submit a one-minute video pitch along with an application explaining their business pitch. The competition will select the top participants from each of three categories to advance to a final pitch event. The judges will then select the top three from each category as winners to receive seed funding.
Anyone age 18 and older who resides in or operates a business in Wake County.
All pitches must be submitted online by completing the entry form and recording or uploading a prerecorded one-minute pitch. Contact the Entrepreneurship & Small Business Center for assistance, if needed. We are here to help and don't want technology to be a barrier for participation.
Yes, but only if the pitch is for a project or innovation that is not part of the existing operation. Existing businesses must be seeking funding to seed a new idea or revenue stream for the business and cannot seek funding to support the existing business concept or operations.
All contestants are required to attend at least one webinar to help you think through your idea and determine if and how it can become self-sustaining. In addition to the webinars, participants can take advantage of other training and business counseling available through the Small Business Center Network and other local small-business development partners.
Those chosen as semifinalists will pitch for three minutes to a three-judge panel at 6 p.m. March 12 on Western Wake Campus and must be prepared to answer questions.

The three judges all support entrepreneurship in Wake County:

  • Wake Tech Associate Dean for Entrepreneurship & Business Dr. Jenipher Cornelius
  • State Rep. Mike Schietzelt
  • Mike Conlon, an entrepreneur and former chair of the Wake Tech Foundation Board
No, neither Wake Tech nor any of its program partners will have any ownership stake in the ideas or companies formed.
No. With the volume of ideas submitted, it's not feasible to keep track of the restrictions within all potential NDAs. To better protect ideas, we don't make the pitch videos public without the applicant's permission. Applicants also can independently file a provisional patent on their idea before submitting.