Make Your Pitch is a video competition in which Ontario high school students are given the opportunity, through a 2-minute video, to pitch their business idea to Expert Judges and to the public for votes.
For the past two years, I have had the pleasure of serving as one of the Expert Judges. I am provided a scorecard, asked to review a list of videos and provide feedback to the submittor. I always try to give them something positive and something to work on to make their pitch or idea more solid. Some of the things I review include: the viability of the business (is it realistic, does it fill a need, is there a defined target market), creativity (messaging, brand development, and creative use of the platform provided), and persuasion (their tone/clarity, is there evidence to back up their claims, does their product alter consumer thinking).
Without further ado, here are the business ideas that I had the pleasure of reviewing and think have what it takes to win the competition, in no particular order.
- Imagine That – VR Art: Mackenzie McGuire, Moira Secondary School
- myCryptoHippo: Shahan Mahmood, Runnymede Collegiate Institute
- The Servebot: Harsh Shah, North Park Secondary School
- Community of Creators: Piolo Astorga, SATEC @ W.A. Porter Collegiate Institute
- Medicare: Saheem Keever, North Park Secondary School
- Brush Buddy: Trina Ahmed, R.H. King Academy
- EmployME: Vennila Gunanesen, Toronto District School Board
- Grip Clean: Alexander Daicopoulos, R.H. King Academy
To place your vote, please visit www.makeyourpitch.ca/videos. Hurry because voting closes April 6th at 12:00PM!