Elevator Pitch

20 November 2025

Quick Info

Objectives

Let everyone know what your product idea is, present progress so far and next steps.

This is your first opportunity to get feedback from industry leaders and lets the executive and project support teams know how far along you are, and what your vision is as to best provide the support and resources you need.

There will be more pitches and demos to come, so consider this to be a good warmup where you can get some valuable feedback early in the process!

Start Time

6 PM sharp

Time Limit

Hard cutoff at 5 minutes

Then 5 minutes for Q&A

What to do

Clearly state what exactly you're doing, what problem you're solving (if applicable), and how you plan to approach it.

Make it engaging and interesting, leave the audience with something memorable.

In your slide deck, avoid walls of text at all cost, use visuals instead (e.g. user workflows, roadmap/timeline, images relevant to the topic being discussed).

We recommend not having more than 3 people presenting as this really messes with your presentation's flow as you hand off to them.

Speak loudly and clearly so everyone can hear you! Use the LAV mic if possible, and learn how to use it correctly. This video may help. Whatever you do, do not speak into it directly, you will make very loud and annoying popping sounds.

Rehearse your pitch and keep it under the time limit.

What not to do

  • Don't get bogged down by the details
    • Avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive details, stick to the big picture, what your idea is and why it matters
  • Don't assume prior knowledge
    • Explain your concept as if you’re presenting to someone hearing about this problem for the first time, keep it simple and intuitive
    • Don’t get too technical
      • Assume your audience does not have a thorough programming or engineering background, skip the jargon, acronyms and in-depth explanations of the technical processes that are behind how the product works (unless asked about it).
  • Don't forget the why
    • It’s not just about what your idea does, it's about why it matters, who it benefits and what problem it solves
  • Don’t go over time
    • Going overtime can make your pitch feel less focused and polished compared to other teams. Staying within the time limit helps you deliver your key points clearly and confidently, which will lead to stronger feedback from the judges — and make a better impression on potential investors down the road.
  • Lose your enthusiasm
    • If you sound uncertain or uninterested, your audience will be too, show passion and belief in your idea!

Suggested talking points

These are just suggestions and not at all mandatory, but may help get you started.

The Problem

The Solution

The Target Audience

Tech Stack

  • If you choose to speak on the software development side of this project in this early pitch, keep it to just the tech stack (the languages, services and frameworks you'll be using and how they play a role in making your product work), do NOT go into the minutia of your software architecture.

Progress made so far and next steps