SOREDI Seeks Startups to Enter Pitch Contest for Cash Prize

Tuesday, July 11, beginning at 5:30 pm, SOREDI will host a Pitch Contest during the LAUNCH|Talk in Ashland. The Pitch Contest will be held at the Oak Knoll Golf Course in Ashland. Tickets will be complimentary for SOREDI Members, $15 for all other guests. Ticket price includes food and a soft drink. A selection of beer and wine will be available for purchase. For qualifying entrepreneurs bootstrapping a start-up enterprise, scholarships are available. Register online at www.SOREDI.org/events or e-mail Rick Hood at rick@soredi.org to apply for scholarship tickets.

This LAUNCH|Pitch Contest will feature the best and the brightest entrepreneurs in our region, giving a 5-minute pitch and answering questions. The audience will choose the winner of the $500 Cash Prize.

“It really only takes an inspiring concept to spark the next great Southern Oregon company and we anticipate several sparks at our next pitch off,” says Colleen Padilla, SOREDI’s Executive Director. “Our effort to build a strong ecosystem to help launch entrepreneurs is starting to take off. Southern Oregon University, the City of Ashland and the SOU Small Business Development Center have helped provide the infrastructure. And now with Bank of the Cascades as our newest Community Builder sponsor, we have additional resources and hands-on help to educate and accelerate startup founders.”

To apply as a Pitch Contest Participant, e-mail codi@soredi.org with the following information: Business Name, Contact Information, One-line Business Proposition and your answer to this question, “What immediate business problem would be solved by winning this $500?” Application deadline is Monday, June 5. Those chosen to pitch on July 11 will be announced at the LAUNCH|Talk on Tuesday, June 13. If you are chosen to pitch, you will have access to coaching and/or practice pitching in advance of the Pitch Contest.

If you’ve been wondering how the startup community is growing in Southern Oregon, you’ll want to come out to watch the next generation of Southern Oregon businesses present on July 11. If you are growing a new business, don’t miss this opportunity to get your idea in front of a community of business supporters and potential mentors and resources.

About SOREDI: SOREDI is a private non-profit organization, funded by its members and governed by a board of directors. Its seven-person staff is charged with local business expansion and new business recruitment efforts, financial assistance to start-up companies, through its business loan fund and management of Enterprise Zones in Jackson and Josephine Counties. The agency was formed as a regional economic development agency in 1987. Learn more at www.soredi.org.