Penn State Great Valley to host Lion Cage event
Entrepreneurs will compete for prizes at pitch competition
Early-stage entrepreneurs will compete for prize money based on their pitch for startup funding.
Early-stage entrepreneurs will have the chance to compete Nov. 10 for their share of $5,000 in prize money during Penn State Great Valley’s Lion Cage pitch competition.
Now in its second year, the event gives competitors the chance to pitch their business products or ideas to a panel of judges, receive feedback and compete for prizes.
A total of 21 entrepreneurs completed an online application to be considered for this year’s event, according to Elizabeth Palmer, marketing communications specialist at Penn State Great Valley. She added that the applicants ranged from current PSU Great Valley students to alumni and community members.
“About 12 competitors will be chosen. We are in the process of contacting competitors now,” she said.
On the day of the event, participants will have five minutes to share their product or idea with a panel of judges that includes industry experts and faculty. Judges will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. The top three finalists will receive awards.
The Lion Cage pitch competition is held through the campus’ REV-UP Center for Entrepreneurship, which was established in May 2016 through a grant from the Invent Penn State Initiative.
The 2018 inaugural Lion Cage competition featured 10 competitors and included pitches from students, alumni and community members.
Last year’s inaugural event was a success, according to Doug Schumer, faculty director for the REVUP center.
“Participants and attendees came together to celebrate
entrepreneurship. This year we will build on that success, featuring a pitch contest with bigger awards and a keynote address by the entrepreneur and author Wayne Kimmel,” he said.
Kimmel is the managing partner of SeventySix Capital, a venture capital company that invests in startup consumer facing tech companies
in the sports, health and retail industries.
The Lion Cage pitch competition will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Penn State Great Valley, 30 Swedesford Road East Whiteland.
The application for competitors is closed, but the Nov. 10 event is open to the public, although advance registration is required. Those interested in attending
the event are asked to sign up online .
Operating in partnership with the Chester County Economic Development Council, the REV-UP Center for Entrepreneurship aims to engage and encourage Penn State students, faculty and community members to generate innovative, commercially-viable solutions to address existing
and emerging business and social needs, and to support their entrepreneurial efforts as they serve the Philadelphia region, according to a press release. For more information visit https://greatvalley.psu.edu/lioncage.