Turner College’s Student Business Pitch Competition Seeking Judges

Turner College professor Kirk Heriot recently announced that he is seeking judges for the 2023 Student Business Pitch Competition (formerly the Business Plan Competition).  Judging for the 2023 competition will commence on or around April 17, 2023, and will consist of three rounds of evaluation that require 10.5 to 11.5 hours over a period of two weeks.  Each pitch will consist of fewer than 1,000 words in addressing six key areas.  Judges will evaluate each pitch using a rubric.  Round 1 will be aimed at screening pitches in an effort to eliminate the weakest among the submissions.  This round will take four to five hours over two days.  During Round 2, judges will review remaining pitches and select the finals from among them.  This round will consume about five hours over seven days.  Lastly, Round 3 will require about 1.5 hours on May 1, 2023, as the finalists will compete.  This round requires that the finalists make a business pitch to the panel of judges, to conclude with a Q&A session for the judges to ask questions.  This will take place in the Synovus Center Theater on CSU’s main campus.  “Serving as a judge is a great way to fulfill our mission and contribute to the success of our students,” Heriot, holder of the Crowley Chair in Entrepreneurship, explained.  “We are especially in need of judges to help us screen the pitches and to select the finalists,” he added.  Past winners of the competition have gone on to successful ventures, with one even appearing on the popular television series, Shark Tank, and securing financial support from the celebrity sharks.