Each quarter, Sonder Impact hosts a prize competition that provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative products, technologies, or services in particular industries.
Sonder Impact's next Black Business Pitch Competition will be held on Thursday, October 28th, and that’s right—we’re going VIRTUAL again!
Tickets to attend are $11. Ticket proceeds will go towards funding our GoFundMe campaign, which will enable us to sustain our programming and assist black businesses in taking advantage of available capital resources.
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. Sonder Impact 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 group that has been traditionally underrepresented in the receipt of startup funding
Operating your business for less than three years
An entrepreneurial start-up without a 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 Sonder Impact.
COMPETITION GUIDELINES & RULES
Sonder Impact has an open call for applications. To enter, there is a non-refundable registration fee. This fee includes:
Entry to Round 1 of the Black Business Pitch Competition
Entry to The Learning Series sessions
Entry to the virtual Black Business Pitch Competition on 10/28/2021
Round 1
Applicants submit their non-refundable registration fee, application form, and Executive Summary. Applicants are considered for advancement to Round 2.
Round 2
Up to 10 finalists will be selected to move forward to Round 2 and compete in the live pitch event, 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 Sonder Impact partners, automatic entry into an accelerator program, a one year subscription to Entrepreneur Magazine, AMEX gift cards, and more! This quarter’s prizes will be:
1st Place - $3,000
2nd Place - $1,500
3rd Place - $500
Judges to Be Announced!
Competition rules and guidelines are as follows:
Finalists will be notified by email by October 20, 2021 at 11:59pm PST.
Sonder Impact reserves the right to adjust the number of finalists at any time.
Finalists must confirm their intent to participate in the live virtual pitch event by submitting their business plan by October 24, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST. 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 present during the live virtual pitch event on October 28, 2021. No pre-recorded presentations will be allowed.
All public sessions of the live virtual 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 September 23, 2021.
Applicants must submit the following materials via the below link to enter the competition:
Non-refundable registration fee. Early Bird registration fee is $39 through October 7, 2021, $49 after.
Completed application form
Executive Summary (4 pages maximum)
Failure to submit the registration fee or any of the required documents will result in the disqualification of your application.
The application period closes on October 17, 2021 at 11:59 pm PST.
