K-State Launch

Eligibility
Students must be enrolled at Kansas State University during the semester the competition is held. Individuals or teams of no more than four students may compete. Teams selected as finalists for Launch Reverse Pitch event must present in-person.

Spirit of the Competition
The Launch staff reserves the right to review submissions on a case-by-case basis and make eligibility decisions. Teams that are unsure of their eligibility should contact the Launch staff. Competitors who promote illegal, illicit, unethical, immoral, or other types of activities, which may be considered unworthy of association with the Launch series, may be disqualified.

• All undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in Kansas State University during the semester of the competition are eligible to enter.
  
  
• Students (or teams) simply register for the competition at: ksu.edu/launch and complete the survey to register by the due date. Teams selected as finalists will be notified.

• September 20 – Submission deadline for entries
• September 30 – All finalists announced
• October 8 – Day of Launch event

Workshop Dates (Encouraged but not required):
In the spirit of empowering students of all majors and disciplines from across campus to launch their business idea, the Launch faculty and staff will be hosting a workshop that discusses the Reverse Pitch. The Launch staff has different dates and times available for this workshop in attempt to cater to differing schedules. The workshops will take place in the Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship in 1056 in the Business Building on the following dates and times:

• To Be Determined.

Please note: All submission deadlines are final. Late applications cannot be accepted and deadline extensions cannot be granted for any reason. The Launch staff encourages each team to submit requirements early so that any technical difficulties can be resolved before the deadline. All submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. (CST) on the due date.

Up to 40 student entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to give a three-minute elevator pitch of their innovative solution to Woof's problem. They will be judged by those in leadership roles at Woof's. In the first round on the day of the event, students will be randomly assigned a judge where they will give their pitch without an audience. Each judge will then submit their top two pitches to compete in the final round. Finalists will then have the opportunity to give their pitch to a panel comprised of all of the judges and a live audience. Placing finalists will receive scholarships to use towards future entrepreneurship courses to allow them to continue to strengthen their entrepreneurial mindset.

Reverse Pitch
No slide presentation, index cards, etc. are allowed for the elevator pitch. Teams may use props/prototypes at their own discretion, but no extra time will be allotted for setup.

• The Reverse pitch finals are open to the public. Audience members must remain silent during pitches.
• Time begins when the presenter(s) begins speaking.
• Presenter(s) must be physically present and give the presentation live and in person. Teams must be present to claim prizes.
• Presenters are scheduled to present in random order. A list with the presentation order will be generated the day of the event.
• There will be no guarantee of confidentiality. Presenters are encouraged to avoid speaking about topics or items that should remain confidential.

Cash prizes for the Launch will be awarded and paid to the legal entity where one exists. If no entity exists then the prizes will be awarded to individual student team members in proportion to the capitalization table or proposed capitalization table submitted. Cash prizes will not be paid at any time to non-students outside of an entity. If a non-student holds an equity position as indicated on a capitalization table where there is no entity present, the cash prize will be paid on a prorated basis to only the student members listed on the capitalization table. If no capitalization table exists, prize money will be split equally between student team members. Prize awards may be subject to taxation and are the sole responsibility of the entity or person(s) to whom the awards are distributed. Each entity or individual(s) will be required to provide a W-9 before receiving any prizes.

In total, the Reverse Pitch competition will award $5,000 in scholarships. The breakdown of how the scholarships available will be coming soon.

Download the Reverse Pitch Case (pdf)