Each quarter, LABIC hosts a prize competition that provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative products, technologies, or services in particular industries.
LABIC's 3Q Black Business Pitch Competition will be held on July 19th at Sip & Sonder, located in Downtown Inglewood. To attend, get tickets below!
For information on how to enter the competition, please see below.
Subject of Challenge
This quarter's business pitch is open to businesses in any industry. LABIC is looking for innovative products, services or technologies that meet the following three criteria:
Has a measurable impact on target consumer / population (30%);
Has the potential for commercialization (40%); and
Fills a need in the marketplace (30%)
Eligibility
Participants must meet the following criteria:
At least 18 years of age
A member of a minority group
Operating your business for less than three years
An entrepreneurial start-up without an direct or indirect operating relationship with an existing large scale corporation, investment fund, or government agency
All determinations of participant eligibility shall be made in the sole discretion of LABIC.
Competition Guidelines & Rules
LABIC has an open call for applications. Up to 10 finalists will be selected to compete in the live pitch event on July 19th, where finalists will pitch their products and ideas to a panel of expert judges and compete for amazing prizes. Past prizes have included free consulting sessions with top VC fund managers and LABIC partners, automatic entry into an accelerator program, a one year subscription to Entrepreneur Magazine, AMEX gift cards, and more!
Meet our judges!
SONYA KAY BLAKE is the Director of Community Business in Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's Office of Economic Development. Prior to that, Sonya served as the Governor's Small Business Advocate, CEO of the National Association of Women Business Owners in L.A., and a small business startup consultant to aspiring South L.A. entrepreneurs.
BRADLEY EDWARDS is the Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Pro Football, where he oversees day-to-day operations for the league. Bradley previously served as Director of International Media Business Development for the National Football League, and structured traditional and digital content negotiations at Disney and ESPN Media Networks.
DELANE PARNELL is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PlayVS, the venture-backed startup building the infrastructure for high school esports. In June 2018, PlayVS announced a $15M Series A led by NEA, the largest ever for a black founder in the consumer internet industry.
Competition rules and guidelines are as follows:
Finalists will be notified by email by July 9th.
LABIC reserves the right to adjust the number of finalists at any time.
Finalists must confirm their intent to participate in the live pitch event by submitting their business plan by July 16, 2018 at 11:59 pm PT. The business plan can be in any format, including PowerPoint, financial model, Word document, etc., that best portrays your company's operations and future plans. Failure to confirm will result in disqualification.
To qualify for the prize, participants must be physically present for the live pitch event on July 19th. No pre-recorded presentations will be allowed.
All public sessions of the live pitch event may be recorded and re-broadcast by the event organizers, the public at large, or members of the media. Participants should not expect or assume any rights of confidentiality related to data or information presented or discussed during public sessions.
Competition organizers reserve the right to disqualify any application submission that it deems inappropriate, unethical, or offensive, or to disqualify any finalist that violates the rules of the live pitch event.
By submitting an application, you agree to the competition terms and conditions.
How to Enter
The application period opens on May 29, 2018.
Applicants must submit the following materials via the below link to enter the competition:
Non-refundable $25 registration fee
Completed application form
Executive Summary (4 pages maximum)
Failure to submit any of the required documents will result in the disqualification of your application.
The application period closes on July 16, 2018 at 11:59 pm PT.
