Tennessee Tech hosting a 90-second pitch contest Tuesday where students can compete for a $1,000 grand prize by presenting original business or product concepts.
Strategy and Engagement Director Andrea Kruszka said the Idea Challenge serves as a preliminary event for the larger Eagle Works competition held each spring. Kruszka said the upcoming session requires no business plans, prototypes, or visual presentations from the participants.
“Just getting up and talking for 90 seconds about something that they think could solve a problem,” Kruszka said. “It’s an easy way for people to be like, ‘Oh, okay, let me go and just test it out, see if I get any feedback, see if anyone’s like, Oh, that’s a really great idea.'”
Kruszka said the judging rubric focuses on the identification of a specific problem, the proposed solution, and the potential market interest. Kruszka said the most successful participants are often those who have personal experience with the issues they are trying to solve.
“Those are also the students who have the most passion for it,” Kruszka said. “And a lot of times it’s less about the idea and more about, can this person sell me on this idea? Do they make me feel like the pain of whatever this issue is?”
Kruszka said the university provides workshops on marketing, business plan development, and presentation skills to help students refine their concepts. Kruszka said these resources are particularly helpful for engineering students who may have technical expertise but lack experience in pitching to an audience.
“We like to give them those resources to kind of help move their product or idea or whatever in the direction where they’re actually thinking critically about it and get them set up to a point where they can pitch it, get feedback from judges, potentially win some scholarship money that they can then take out as excess aid to use towards their business,” Kruszka said.
Kruszka said the program also connects students with local mentors and organizations such as the Biz Foundry and the Small Business Development Center. Kruszka said the skills gained through the challenge are applicable to any career path because employers value workers who can think critically and find efficiencies.
“People who are able to think critically, who are able to see an issue and find a way to make it easier,” Kruszka said. “Every employer wants people who can do that. They want employees who can think outside the box and come up with solutions rather than just doing things the old way that maybe isn’t the most efficient.”
Kruszka said the spring Eagle Works competition offers larger rewards, with previous first-place winners receiving up to $10,000 in scholarship money.
