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Get going on your business-ownership dream. Learn how to enter (and win!) a pitch competition, secure your business' IP, write a business plan, network, and more.
Doors open at 10 am. Visit with exhibitors from local organizations that support small businesses. Network with other entrepreneurs.
10:30 am – How to Win a Pitch Competition, aka , Refining Your Elevator Speech
11:30 am - Introducing the StartUp Akron Pitch Competition
Noon – Intellectual Property for Business Startups
1 pm – Your Business Plan
Thank you to the Burton D. Morgan Foundation for generously supporting StartUp Akron.
Looking for seed money to start your business? Need a financial bump to take your idea to the next level? Main Library's first-ever pitch competition includes cash prizes and a networking reception.
Independent judges will evaluate a selected group of local entrepreneurs as they compete for prize money to launch or grow their businesses.
Grand prize: $3,000
Second prize: $1,500
Third prize: $500 TechZone stipend
StartUp Akron Pitch Competition is Wednesday, May 17, with a warmup by Emcee Vanessa Michelle at 6:30. Pitches start at 7 pm.
Entrepreneurs might also be interested in the StartUp Akron: Ask an Attorney - Business Law Clinic on Thursday, April 6, from 5 to 8 pm at Main Library.
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Special Events | Patent & Trademark | Job Skills & Career | Community Event | Business & Personal Finance |
Main Library, located in the heart of downtown Akron, combines compelling public space with meaningful and relevant public library services for all members of our community. Since opening in 2004, the downtown library welcomes more than one million visitors each year.
Subject divisions include: Business, Government & Science, Culture & AV, Magazines & Newspapers, Special Collections (local history & genealogy), TechZone@Main, Teen, and a 12,000 square feet Children's Library.
Special services available at Main Library include: a Patent & Trademark Resource Center; U.S. Passport and Notary services; a Microbusiness Center; a Maker Space; a resource lab for early childhood educators; and regularly scheduled computer training classes. Also available at Main Library are more than 125 public access computers, color photocopiers/printers, laminating, scanning, faxing, and free Wi-Fi.
Specialized spaces include a 425-seat auditorium, public meeting rooms, and a used bookstore. An interior glass block walkway leads to a 600-space parking garage owned by the City of Akron. An outdoor amphitheater and landscaped park complete the complex.