It may not be Dragons' Den, but Niagara College students with big dreams - and business ideas to match - will have a chance to make their pitch on the weekend of February 1-3.
Representatives from the College along with a panel of industry judges will be scouting for the next great entrepreneurial idea at the Start-Up Weekend hosted by the College's entrepreneurship hub, ncTakeOff. The weekend-long competition will be held at the College's Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus.
"The goal of the event is to give students an opportunity to test out entrepreneurship," said Madison Fuller, ncTakeOff project manager. "This is meant to be a crash course for any student interested in starting a business in the future or just get involved with something on campus to meet new friends and network."
Forty students from a variety of programs are expected to participate in the event. On the evening of Friday, Feb. 1, they will network, form teams, and have an opportunity to hear from keynote speaker Kevin Unger, who is a graduate of the College's Business -Sales and Marketing program, and owner of St. Catharines-based Kevin Unger Photography. The event continues on Saturday, Feb. 2 when participants will attend various workshops to help them build their business. On Sunday, Feb. 3, students will present their pitches before a panel of judges and the winner will be announced.
To evaluate student presentations at the event, ncTakeOff has invited Vivian Kinnaird, dean of Business, Hospitality, and Environment; Leah Foer, NC professor and founder of Simply Sustainable; and Matt Goch, small business advisor at Meridian Credit Union.
"Being an intensive start-up simulation event, all participants - from students to community members who volunteer as judges and mentors - experience the highs, lows, learning and fun of entrepreneurial life," said Kinnaird.
Sponsored by Meridian Credit Union, the winner of the Start-Up Weekend will receive a prize package including $1,000 cash and the opportunity to compete ncTakeOff's next competition, Pitch Perfect, where participants compete for a $3,000 prize.
ncTakeOff is Niagara College's hub for entrepreneurship, hosting entrepreneurial development programs and enabling access to subject experts, mentors, events and funding opportunities. Visit http://www.nctakeoff.ca
For more information
300 Woodlawn Road, P.O.Box 1005
Welland Ontario
Canada L3C 7L3
www.niagaracollege.ca
