Greer Woodham (A.M.E.N Printhouse) presenting to fellow entrepreneurs and the uSTART Team

uSTART, the business accelerator programme of The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), functions as an engine of innovation and enterprise, fostering an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurial mindsets of both students and staff of UTT through the provision of a physical business space and business development services inclusive of access to host seminars, workshops and other opportunities originating at uSTART and with partner organisations.

One such opportunity is the uSTART Business Pitch Series. A business pitch typically takes the form of an entrepreneur or group of entrepreneurs, presenting or describing their ideas to prospective investors within a specified time. uSTART hosted a series of business pitch sessions to assist entrepreneurs in presenting their business profiles to a panel of future investors. Over a period of three (3) sessions, on February 12^th, March 4^th and March 11^th, 2016, uSTART held the Business Pitch Series where all uSTART entrepreneurs were invited to present their business pitches for five (5) to ten (10) minutes.

A total of 15 companies participated in the pitch sessions presenting their business ideas to their fellow uSTART entrepreneurs, as well as the uSTART team.  In these sessions, entrepreneurs were invited to pitch creatively to the audience. Business presenters also clearly stated the types of investment which will be needed, how they intended to use these investments, and the estimated returns on investments. The audience was then given the opportunity to provide suggestions to improve the pitch and conclude whether they would invest in the company presenting. Feedback given would be further discussed with the presenters to assist them in improving their respective pitches.

Dtectt representative Roy Chen setting up for his presentation

Presenters emerged from different sectors using various techniques to present their companies and engross the investment-focused audience. Some businesses used their passionate description of their products in presenting their work. Many presented their skills in visual form including our animation and video game developers. Presenters gained the trust of our investors using methods such as presenting their teams, some of which were local and international award winners in their specific fields, displaying their potential through video and some even through song. 

Attendees listening attentively to one of the Presenters

The pitch sessions were a success with 88.88% of the attendees rating the sessions between 7 and 10 out of 10. Further, the feedback results revealed that 93% of the attendees indicated that they learnt from the pitches of the other presenters. Additionally, these respondents highlighted that they would be interested in attending more pitch sessions like these. The completion of this session and the knowledge gained by attendees brings uSTART one step closer to achieving the UTT mission “To be an entrepreneurial university designed to discover and develop entrepreneurs, commercialize research and development and spawn companies for wealth generation and sustainable job creation towards the equity enhancement of the quality of life of all individuals, families and communities of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. “