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The Savannah FastPitch event has provided a public platform for inventors of everything from a stealth beer cooler to a satirical horror film.
The fifth edition of the entrepreneurial competition, to be held Thursday in the Savannah Morning News auditorium, promises another batch of unique and innovative ideas.
Twenty aspiring entrepreneurs will present their concepts and products during the daylong event. Among the presentations are a device that encourages children to wash their hands, an English language teaching tool, a board game, several mobile applications, a convertible backpack, an online platform for producing comic books and even a juiced up kilt design.
“We’ll hear pitches from all over the board,” said Charisse Bennett, program director for FastPitch co-organizer The Creative Coast. “And all 20 presenters are really good and ready.”
The 20 participants is the smallest field for the event since the Creative Coast teamed with Georgia Southern University and Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology and Development Center to expand the competition in 2011. Organizers received 60 applications for the event and invited 30 participants. Ten dropped out during a pair of preparation sessions, including a coaching clinic, held in the last month.
More than 40 entrepreneurs competed in 2011, and last year’s field numbered in the 30s.
This year’s group of finalists features nine entrepreneurs with concepts in early stage development, five with established businesses or products and six student entries. The pitchers will compete for prizes, with the overall winner claiming a $6,000 award.
“There are definitely some interesting concepts,” said Luke Pittaway with Georgia Southern University’s College of Business Administration. “We’ll see about the quality. We’ve had some good ones. It will be quite hard to top last year.”
Win or lose, participants will find the experience valuable, organizers say. They tweaked the event’s format this year, adding a three-minute question-and-answer period led by a three-person panel at each pitch’s end. The Q&A session’s goal is to allow the pitchers to clarify their positions and share additional information.
The panelists are technology guru Jim Goodlett, local entrepreneur Rad Harrell and intellectual property lawyer Kate Strain.
FastPitch organizers also reworked the judge’s score sheet to include a more extensive feedback section. FastPitch participants will be given the score sheets following the competition.
One of the few FastPitch veterans slated to present next week, convertible backpack inventor Jamie Bowerman, said the changes will benefit the entrepreneurs.
“I think one of the best things for start-up entrepreneurs to do is constantly pitch and get feedback from as many folks as possible,” Bowerman said. “It can be intimidating and even sometimes painful, but in the end it will always lead to a better product or service.”
IF YOU GO
What: Fastpitch 2013
When: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Thursday
Where: Savannah Morning News auditorium
Info: Go to fastpitchcompetition.com for more information.