Montclair State University’s 2019 Pitch Contest: Alumni Welcome!

Montclair State University is gearing up to find the next big idea at its annual “BulbHead.com Inventors Day for Aspiring Entrepreneurs.” With $80,000 in prize money designated for winning startups, Montclair State’s competition is the largest collegiate pitch contest in New Jersey. The contest, which is generously funded by BulbHead.com founder and Montclair State alumnus AJ Khubani ’84, is now open to alumni for participation!

Alumnus Kent Daniel ’18, a Senior Management major and Entrepreneurship minor during the competition, placed third alongside classmate Sasha Mejia-Rivas in last year’s pitch contest. Their pitch, Culture Artisan Clothing, a free-trade women’s clothing company that manufactures its products in India, earned them a total of $10,000 in prize money. The company’s mission statement is: “To create beautiful clothing while making a meaningful impact on communities and society.”

“My classes within the Entrepreneurship program gave me the tools I needed to move forward with my dream. The BulbHead.com pitch contest made me realize that it is possible to realize my dream of having a business,” says Daniel. “Being a finalist has allowed me to fund my inventory and marketing efforts to launch my business.”

Daniel is growing the company through his own website, as well as through different social media platforms. In addition, he will be setting up temporary locations to sell his clothes, and some stores in and around Montclair have agreed to carry his brand.

Individuals interested in the pitch contest should act fast as the deadline for the preliminary round of contest submission is 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, 2019.

Rules and Guidelines

Only Montclair State students and alumni are eligible to enter the contest. Contestants must enter as teams of two to five people, as entries by individuals are not accepted. Each team must have at least one Montclair State student. Contestants can only be on one team. Minimum ownership stake in the team cannot be less than 20 percent for any individual on the team.

A team is ineligible to enter the competition if it has received more than $100,000 in third-party financing or generated more than $10,000 in gross revenue – see team agreement on the 2019 Pitch Contest page for more information. The full rules for the contest are in the team agreement, which can be accessed at: 2019 Pitch Contest

The contest features a prize pool of $80,000 to be awarded as follows:

      First prize:          $50,000

      Second prize:     $20,000

      Third prize:         $10,000

At each prize level, 20 percent of the award goes directly to the team members and the remaining 80 percent must be invested in the startup venture under the coaching of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship. The competition consists of three rounds in spring 2019, culminating in the live final pitches on May 8, 2019.

Timing of Contest

Preliminary Round (Deadline: March 26, 2019 by 4 p.m.):

The Preliminary Round will consist of the following:

1. Signed pitch competition team agreement. Agreement can be accessed at: 2019 Pitch Contest
2. Video of no more than 2 minutes, zero seconds in mp4 format only. Teams are encouraged to show all team members in the video pitching the idea/business.
3. One-page executive summary that must follow the format, and contain all the info, shown in a sample at: 2019 Pitch Contest

Information on how to submit the three items is provided in the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship 2019 Pitch Contest webpage.

On April 5, the Team Lead for each team will be notified whether or not the team is moving to the live pitch rounds of the contest on May 8.

Semi-final Round: May 8, 2019 (morning)

Final Round: May 8, 2019 (afternoon)

All contest materials must be submitted by required deadlines and within the format and specifications required by the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship. Failure to comply, as determined solely by the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship, may result in team being ineligible to compete.

All submission deadlines are final. Late submissions cannot be accepted.

Need a Teammate?

The Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship has a Facebook post that can help individuals find a teammate, especially if he/she is looking to add a Montclair State student to the team as required in the rule.

For more information about the contest, visit the 2019 Pitch Contest webpage.

Questions about the contest should be addressed to: pitchcontest@montclair.edu