Just like New Orleans and other cities across the globe, Baton Rouge also has an entrepreneur week and it’s fast approaching. The Baton Rouge Entrepreneur Week (BREW) will kick off on November 11th, 2012 and feature a “shark tank” pitch competition. Companies will compete in front of investors prepared to fork over a minimum of $25,000 for the right pitch. Applications are currently being accepted online and are due on October 12th, 2012.
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) is helping put on BREW and further their mission to promote a strong economy throughout the nine-parish Baton Rouge area. SeNSE has been chosen to lead and facilitate the pitch competition.
Investors and judges for the competition have already been chosen from a range of regional businesses, including Todd Graves, Founder of Raising Cane’s; Mike Wampold, Founder and Owner of Wampold Companies; Lane Grigsby, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Cajun Industries; Joe Agresti, President and Co-owner of Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge; and Kevin Couhig, the Founder and CEO of Source Capital.
“This is unprecedented for the Baton Rouge area and an enormous opportunity for entrepreneurs and startups to get vital capital for their business. Winners of this competition have an opportunity to receive a cash investment and valuable mentoring from extremely successful entrepreneurs,” said Adam Knapp, President and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. “The participation by these five regional business owners and their willingness to put money on the line is a great example of why the Capital Region is a great place for entrepreneurs and innovators to develop and craft their ideas.”
“This high-stakes pitch night has been a long time in the making! We are excited to host this event with BRAC and the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report and put real money into the hands of startup entrepreneurs,” said Sean Simone, SeNSE chairman. “As a startup founder, I know how hard it can be to get the capital and the awareness necessary to launch a successful business. This event will be that opportunity for a handful of start-up entrepreneurs.”
Visit celebrateBREW.com to find out more about the pitch competition and view the schedule of events.