2014 edition of Cox Business pitch contest to award $10K package

CARE TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT BELINDA WONG, part of the winning team at last year's inaugural Get Started RI event, shows how the company's linear LED lighting system makes a brighter, more inviting environment than traditional commercial lighting solutions. / COURTESY COX BUSINESS
CARE TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT BELINDA WONG, part of the winning team at last year's inaugural Get Started RI event, shows how the company's linear LED lighting system makes a brighter, more inviting environment than traditional commercial lighting solutions. / COURTESY COX BUSINESS

WEST WARWICK – Cox Business and Inc. Magazine will host the business pitch competition, Get Started RI, for the second time in the Ocean State. This time, Cox Business is upping the ante by doubling the prize to a $10,000 technology package (from a $5,000 technology package last year).
The competition is very similar to the ABC show, “Shark Tank.” It will highlight five entrepreneurs who will be given two minutes to pitch their business idea to an expert panel. The competitors will be given immediate feedback and following the presentations, the panelists will decide the winning pitch based off of its “innovation, ease of implementation and the benefit it brings to the community” according to a Cox release.
The deadline for entry is Aug. 31. Along with registration, applicants must provide a description of their proposed product or service in 250 words or less. The five finalists selected to pitch at Get Started RI will be notified by Sept. 12. The competition will be held on Oct. 1 at 5:30 p.m. at the Squantum Association in East Providence. Pitchmaps also will provide a workshop to coach the finalists on how to pitch their ideas before the competition.
The expert panel will include Porter Gale, author and startup adviser, Nick Kishfy, founder and CEO of Mojotech, and Josh Linkner, author, entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Each panelist was selected for their unique expertise, as well as their ability to provide feedback and advice to individuals interested in starting a business.
Allison Fass, deputy editor of Inc. Magazine, will also be moderating the session.
Local business professionals are encouraged to attend even if they are not competing. There will be a networking session prior to the completion and following the pitches there will be an interactive Q&A between the expert panel and the audience.
Other partners of Get Started RI include Hatch Entrepreneurial Center, Providence Business News, the Rhode Island district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration and the R.I. Small Business Development Center.
For more information or to register for the competition, visit www.coxblue.com/getstartedri.

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