South Piedmont spearheading 53 Ideas Pitch Competition

MONROE – South Piedmont Community College’s Small Business Center is leading the fifth-annual 53 Ideas Pitch Competition.

The initiative allows budding entrepreneurs access to the capital, training and social connections needed to turn an idea into a viable business.

These free resources will be offered by Small Business Centers located at community colleges throughout the region, including Central Piedmont, Cleveland, Gaston, Mitchell, Rowan-Cabarrus, South Piedmont and Stanly.

“We are thrilled to spearhead this year’s 53 Ideas Pitch Competition once more, and extend our gratitude to Fifth Third Bank for their ongoing support,” said Renee Hode, South Piedmont’s director of entrepreneurship and small business. “Recognizing the hurdles and disparities within entrepreneurship, this competition serves as a gateway, offering invaluable resources along with capital that are crucial for transforming innovative ideas into thriving ventures.”

To enter, applicants have 53 seconds to share their idea in the form of a video submitted at 53ideas.com by the May 31 deadline. 

Round one is based on the idea. Contestants do not have to be pitch pros. They just need to share who they are, their idea, the problem it solves, how it is new or superior to an existing product or service, and how they can make it happen. 

Judges will select the top 53 ideas and those contestants will move on in the competition to receive training to help them prepare a three-minute pitch for the second round of the competition. 

Judges will then narrow the field to the top 10 and those selected will receive $250 before moving forward to compete in the Pitch Day finale.  

The first-place winner will receive $10,000, the second-place winner will receive $5,000 and the third-place winner will receive $2,500 to develop their idea.

“We are committed to supporting entrepreneurship across this region and throughout North Carolina,” said Joel Dancy, vice president, community & economic development, Carolinas Region, Fifth Third Bank.  “We are very excited to be supporting the 53 Ideas Pitch Competition for the fifth year in a row because it not only helps in the short term with access to capital for the winners, but it also helps in the long term through financial education for all participants.”

Last year’s competition received more than 100 entries. Tequia Williams, founder of Jexsii, won $10,000 in seed funding for earning first place.