After their inaugural event last year was met with huge success, The BIG Pitch is returning to Kamloops with more prize money, more community partners, and more ways to support new and emerging entrepreneurs.
Hosted by Community Futures Thompson Country, the event will take place on Friday, March 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Kelson Hall Centre for Arts & Education.
Alongside the pitch competition, a Business Support Services Tradeshow will be on hand to connect both contestants and the public with businesses and organizations offering services and resources designed to support local entrepreneurs.
Jennifer Brown-Binns, Projects and Communications Manager with Community Futures, stated that the event is as much about connection as it is competition.
Brown-Binns has been with Community Futures for almost four years. In the past, the organization hosted a Junior Dragon’s Den-style event, which eventually was discontinued. After some time, the desire to bring the same spirit back with bigger energy and greater community partnerships turned into what is now The BIG Pitch.
“How can we bring it back? How can we create something new and cool to support early-stage entrepreneurs?” she said. The answer was a broader umbrella for participants, building on community connection, knowledge sharing, and some pretty great prizes.
Community Futures Thompson Country services Kamloops and the surrounding region, and this year the eligibility has been expanded to allow for more people to be able to qualify to enter. Contestants must be in their planning phase or have been in business for less than 24 months and have generated less than $100,000 in revenue since opening operations.
So far, 27 participants have registered, and more are expected before the big event
Participants begin with a closed-door pitch to a panel of seasoned professionals. Five finalists move on to a live public pitch, with judges selecting the grand prize winner and the audience voting for People’s Choice.
“We have seen a lot of neat businesses,” Brown-Binns said. Last year’s contestants included dog grooming, clothing, bakeries, consulting, cleaning, LARPers, plumbers, media, photography, and brick-and-mortar shops. “It was very diverse, which made it so fun and interesting.”
This year, the grand prize has been increased to $10,000 thanks to the grand prize co-sponsor, Venture Kamloops. The People’s Choice winner will receive dedicated mentorship hours sponsored by Avid ActionCOACH. New additions include a Headshot Zone, courtesy of Tourism Kamloops, and two pre-pitch public speaking preparation sessions in partnership with the Kamloops & District Chamber of Commerce.
“There’s so much value within the day,” Brown-Binns said. Last year’s winner, she said, found the whole experience to be “transformative,” and the hope is that the event continues to help people grow. “It is so powerful to be in a room with such positive people.”
Just the act of competing helps contestants think about their businesses. Preparing a pitch requires contestants to refine their business plan, be clear about their vision, and look at their ideas through a different lens.
The tradeshow brings organizations such as Venture Kamloops, the Community Development Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, and more, who will be on site to offer information and support. The event is free and open to the public.
“Entrepreneurship doesn’t happen in isolation,” Brown-Binns said. “Between the judging panel, the tradeshow partners, and the community turnout, people walk away with far more than a pitch. They walk away with connections that move their business forward.”
Check out Community Futures for more information about the competition and how you may get involved.