Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Next up is the finale that will wrap-up the Spring edition of the “Vol Court Speaker Series & Pitch Competition.”

After four sessions including one Tuesday evening focused on the pitch, University of Tennessee, Knoxville students will compete next week for prize money and other services. Top prize is $1,500 plus services from sponsors like PYA, the power behind teknovation.biz. Second place is $1,000, and third place is worth $500.

The session begins at 5:15 p.m. March 2 at this link.

During the most recent workshop, Lia Winter (pictured here) offered tips to the students who have participated in the program. She knows the pitch process very well, having earned $150,000 in competitions that helped fund applications for three patents. Winter is the Co-Founder of Winter Innovations, a company that has also secured outside investment capital for the EasyWhip™ stitching device.

Among the tips she offered the students were these:

• Recognize that pitching is an art. It’s about telling the story of your idea.
• Have a logical flow to your pitch.
• Use slides to help the audience make conclusions.
• Use action captions to reinforce key points.
• Answer any questions as succinctly as possible.

The “Vol Court” series is offered by the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation in the Haslam College of Business.

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