“Any student here at the university from any college that has a business idea should enter.”

Auburn University students with business ideas have the opportunity to share those ideas before industry professional judges on Wednesday, October 30, and compete for a share of $2,000 in prize money.

The first Halloween Pitch Competition, sponsored by the Harbert College of Business, provides young entrepreneurs the opportunity to present a one-page written business plan and a video between 2-3 minutes in length to a panel of judges, who will choose 30 finalists from that pool for the October 30 pitch round. That event will be at 5 p.m. in the Broadway Event Space and Theater at Horton-Hardgrave Hall and is open to the public.

“Any student here at the university from any college that has a business idea should enter,” urged Lou Bifano, Director of Entrepreneurship Strategy at the Harbert College of Business. “We are hoping that students who plan to compete in the Tiger Cage Business Idea Competition will use this opportunity to practice in an environment where there is a $2,000 prize to motivate them to get ready for a competition where there is a $50,000 prize pool. It’s a tune up for students competing in the Tiger Cage competition, and for the other students who just want to compete for the cash, it’s an opportunity to make some money and maybe get interested in competing in the Tiger Cage.”

“We’re working hard to build an ecosystem around what we do here at the university so that the students do not feel the need to leave the state of Alabama or possibly the city of Auburn or east Alabama region to advance their business.”

The annual Tiger Cage Student Business Idea competition drew 71 students for its 2019-20 kickoff meeting on Thursday, August 29, and will eventually whittle teams down to four for the final round to be held next spring.

The winning team in the October 30 Halloween Pitch Competition will be awarded $1,000. Second place will receive $600, third place will receive $200, and a team earning the “Student Choice Award” will receive $200.

“Entrepreneurship is important here at Auburn because we are a land grant university and part of our mission is to foster job creation and economic development for the state of Alabama,” Bifano added. “The entrepreneurship program we have here at Auburn is nurturing student entrepreneurs. We’re working hard to build an ecosystem around what we do here at the university so that the students do not feel the need to leave the state of Alabama or possibly the city of Auburn or east Alabama region to advance their business.”

Students interested in getting more involved in entrepreneurship at Auburn University should email hcobent@auburn.edu for more information.