The Elevator Pitch

These instructions are an example of the kinds of things your community team may want to consider as you decide how to structure the 2-minute elevator pitch, should you choose that as an additional competition element. It should be adapted as desired to fit your needs.

Student Instructions

The Elevator Pitch competition is a 2-minute pitch about your idea for a product or business. Your job is to excite the judges by answering the following questions:

1. What is the need, problem, or opportunity that your product or business addresses?
2. What is your idea?
3. Who do you assume to be your target customers?
4. Where or how did the idea come to you?
5. Why is your product or business different or better than the competition?
6. What are your business goals?

Elevator Pitch Competition Process

1. Student will receive their Elevator Pitch “slot” (the time at which they should report for their elevator pitch) when they check in on the morning of the competition.
2. Student gets up to 1 minute to enter the room and introduce themselves. No handouts, no PowerPoint, and no computer presentation permitted.
3. Student gets 2 minutes to make his or her pitch.
4. Judges will not ask questions.

Elevator Pitch Competition Judging

Judging will be based on:

• The compelling case you have made that this product or business has merit
• Answers to the six questions presented in student instructions
• Quality of the presentation performance: appearance, confidence, posture, speaking ability, captures attention, is within time limits, etc.

Further Reading

• Improving Student Pitches (3-minute read)
• The Elevator Pitch (3-minute read)
• How to Give a Flawless Elevator Pitch (5-minute read)
• 13 Tips on How to Deliver a Pitch Investors Simply Can't Turn Down (5-minute read)
• The Best Elevator Pitch Examples, Templates, and Tactics (10-minute read)
• TEDx Speaker Guide (10-minute read)