Elevator Pitch Competition
You have 2 minutes. Your Time starts now!
The Roanoke College Elevator Pitch Competition, presented by Leaders in Innovative Thought (LIT) provides students of all majors the opportunity to put their idea for a new venture to the test. Students have 2 minutes to share their idea for a new product, service, nonprofit, or other type of business with a panel of judges and convince them that this new idea has merit.
The elevator pitch is a frequently used term, meaning “tell me about your new idea in the time it takes to ride up an elevator.” Crafting an effective Elevator Pitch teaches students to communicate clearly and allows their charisma and positive characteristics to shine through. Ideas may be at any stage of development from creation of concepts or ideas to an established or existing company.
Who Should Enter?
- Open to currently enrolled undergraduate students of any major at Roanoke College
- Students interested in sharpening their charisma and public speaking skills
- Students interested in exploring an idea they have for a new business
- Students hoping to earn prize money to fund their idea
- Students looking to challenge themselves and do something rewarding
Why Enter?
- Highlight your presentation skills and entrepreneurial prowess
- Compete for large cash prizes
- Receive constructive feedback on your idea from expert reviewers
- Earn recognition and attention for your idea
What to expect
-
Commercial Category Prizes
1st Place-$500
2nd Place-$400
3rd Place-$300
-
Social Category Prizes
1st Place-$500
2nd Place-$400
3rd Place-$300
-
Timeline
September 21 (Monday) at 8 AM: Deadline to create Reviewr account and register
October 5 (Monday) at 8 AM: Deadline to submit Round 1 Pitch Recording
October 23 (Friday): Finalists announced
November 10 (Tuesday) at 7 PM: Live, in-person final round
Round 1 - Registration
To register, students must first create a Reviewr account by clicking on the button below. After you create your account, you will be prompted to submit a few pieces of key information about your idea to complete registration. Once registered, students should starting working to create and record their elevator pitch as all who register will advance to Round 2! Please read the EPC User Guide in it’s entirety, as failure to comply with the rules in the guide will result in disqualification.
Information Required:
- Name of your venture
- Is it social or commercial?
- Individual Participant Information
- Short idea description (1-2 sentences)
Round 1 registration deadline: Monday, September 21, 2026 at 8 AM.
Key Links
Helpful
Rubrics
Ready to Enter?
Round 2 - Video Submission
In a video recording that is no longer than two minutes, deliver your pitch to the Elevator Pitch Review Panel. The EPC Review Panel will score each pitch, and the top scoring teams in each category will move on to compete in the final round based on the judging rubrics (above).
Feedback will be provided to the finalists in order to guide them as to how they should proceed to strengthen their pitch in the final round.
Information to consider and include in your pitch:
• What is the problem?
• What is your solution?
• What is your organization’s name, and who are you?
• Why are you uniquely qualified to do this?
• What is it like?
• How is it different from the competition?
• How are you going to make money? (Or, in the social category, how will you become sustainable?)
• How can you expand in the future?
Ready to submit your recorded pitch?
Round 3 - The Finals
A live final round of the competition will be held Tuesday, November 10th at 7 PM in the Wortmann Ballroom.
Join us as the finalists give their pitches to our esteemed panel of final round judges. Pitches will be given in front of a live public audience, and everyone is invited to attend and cheer on the finalists! Prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the final round.