Pitch Your Business Idea During HATCH 2018

29 Jun 2018


Do you have the next great idea? Have you been working on a startup or have an idea for a business? If so, you could win the 2018 HATCH pitch contest. This pitch program gives local entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their idea, speak in front of business leaders, connect with investors, and gain exposure with a broader audience. Anyone with an idea for a new business is invited to apply to compete in one of the three local events. The winner will receive $2,000 to fund their idea! They also qualify to present at the regional finale and compete for the $5,000 grand prize!

What is HATCH?

 This is a fun, high-energy program designed to give entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch, and hopefully launch, their next idea. Organized by the BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation, HATCH facilitates connections between prospective entrepreneurs and those within a community who support them such as industry experts, professional service firms, banks, non-profits, business leaders and investors.

 The program was so successful in 2017, with more than 300 people attending the final event, that the program has been expanded to include three regions. “WEDC was impressed with the success that HATCH had last year in supporting entrepreneurs in central Wisconsin and we look forward to seeing the same results as this innovative program expands to other regions of the state,” said Mark R. Hogan, secretary and CEO of WEDC. “We are pleased to be able to provide additional funding to offer more resources to entrepreneurs through programs like HATCH.”

Pitch Your Idea

If you have the next great idea, visit www.hatchwi.com. There is a “Submit an Idea” link across the top of the page. This is where you can apply to “pitch” your idea. Then, on the day of the competition, the selected competitors will have 5 minutes to pitch their idea before a panel of judges and a live audience.

The Rules

The rules are simple. They don’t restrict the type of idea you can submit, but it’s important to remember this is about moving an idea forward. The audience has a chance to evaluate and vote for their favorite idea alongside the judges. Beyond the prize money, this is a chance to get the business idea that has been rattling around in your head, out in front of a supportive community. HATCH events are fun, highly social and inspirational.

HATCH Judging Criteria

Criteria for evaluating pitches at the include:

  • An opportunity that will drive quality, sustaining jobs for a 21st Century Wisconsin economy
  • An innovative, usually technology based, idea (whether it be a product or service based company)
  • with barriers to entry
  • A large addressable target market or a trending market with expected rapid growth
  • A business that is rapidly scalable
  • A social entrepreneur solving a community challenge

HATCH Calendar

All of the events start at 6 p.m. and end at roughly 8:30 p.m.

 Chippewa Valley region schedule:

  • July 19 – Eau Claire at the State Theatre hosted by the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corp.
  • August 23 – Menomonie Mabel Tainter Theater hosted by the Dunn County Economic Development Corp.
  • September 27 – Chippewa Falls (venue TBD), hosted by the Chippewa County Economic Development Corp.
  • November 8 – Regional finale in Eau Claire at the new Confluence Art Center, hosted by Chippewa Valley HATCH

Central Wisconsin region schedule:

  • May 16 - Stevens Point HATCH was hosted by the Portage County Business Council
  • June 20 - Wisconsin Rapids HATCH was hosted by Mid-State Technical College
  • August 8 – Wausau (venue to be determined), hosted by the Entrepreneurial & Education Center
  • September 26 – Marshfield (venue TBD), hosted by the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry
  • November 7 – Regional finale in Stevens Point (venue TDB), hosted by Central Wisconsin HATCH

Southeastern Wisconsin region schedule:

  • May 24 – HATCH was hosted by the Kenosha Area Business Alliance
  • July 25 – Racine (venue TBD)
  • September 20 – Kenosha (venue TBD)
  • November 8 – Regional finale in Racine (venue TBD), hosted by Southeastern Wisconsin HATCH

Submit Your Idea Today

This is an incredible event that gives you the opportunity to get your business idea in front of a supportive audience, while also competing for up to $7,000. Enter today by visiting, www.hatchwi.com.