The Mike Ilitch School of Business' E&I programs and TISA Department offer up to $10,000 in start up funds in their Startup Technology Pitch Competition

The Mike Ilitch School of Business is proud to announce the Ilitch School Startup Technology Pitch Competition, a new initiative designed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative technological advances and student-led ventures.

The competition, hosted by the Ilitch School's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program and the Department of Technology, Information Systems and Analytics and powered by the Belinsky Entrepreneurial Learning Lab, invites students to submit their pitches for new technology-based start-up ventures, and compete for cash investments ranging from $2,500 to $10,000.

Wayne State students in every school and college are invited to participate in this competition. Teams will spend fall developing a novel technology-based pitch, and winter refining their prototype under the guidance of an assigned mentor. The first round of judging will take place in February of 2025, and the final awards will be delivered in March 2025.

Dean Virginia Kleist commented on this new initiative, stating that "entrepreneurial values, along with the practical skills and deep background knowledge necessary to ideate, launch and manage a successful venture, are central to any business education. I am very excited that we will be able to see these values in action during this competition. Because our Wayne State students are second to none, I cannot wait to see the pitches that are developed in this process!"

The Start Up Pitch Competition is co-directed by Kevin Ketels, Director of the Ilitch School's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programs and Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Global Supply Chain Management, and Rhoda Joseph, Chair of the Ilitch School's Technology, Information Systems and Analytics Department, who are proud to bring this competition to the slate of new developments at the Ilitch School.

Ketels and Joseph remarked that this competition complements the Ilitch School's incorporation of entrepreneurial values and investments in new technology into coursework. The Ilitch School's new Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor, which is open to all WSU students, extracurricular programing that bring E&I minds to the business school and the addition of faculty with expertise in AI and cutting edge technological innovations all underscore this commitment.

Any WSU student interested in participating in this competition is encouraged to submit an interest form to receive email updates, and to plan to attend the information session held at the Ilitch School on Monday, October 7,2024 at 5:00 pm in Room 319. For more information, head to our website to read more about the schedule and rules for the Tech Pitch Competition.