Cox Business wants entrepreneurs to Get Started


  • September 2, 2016
  • /   Shannon Nickinson
  • /   economy

The winner of the Cox Business 2015 Get Started event in Gainesville, Fla. Credit: Cox Business.

Cox Business wants to hear your new business' Big Idea.

If it's good enough, they may pay you for it.

This fall the business arm of Cox Communications will host Get Started Pensacola, which will allow local entrepreneurs to pitch their idea or product to a panel of judges for their chance to win a prize package worth more than $20,000.

Get Started Pensacola is set for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at Pensacola Little Theater.

That's just one day before the Studer Community Institute's EntreCon Pensacola 2016, a two-day event full of panel discussions, advice and access to experts to help small businesses and entrepreneurs be all they can be.

Local entrepreneurs, startups and small business owners interested in presenting their business plan or idea can now sign up at www.coxblue.com/getstartedpensacola.

The 2015 Cox Business Get Started event in Gainesville. Credit: Cox Business.

The 2015 Cox Business Get Started event in Gainesville. Credit: Cox Business.

As part of the ongoing Get Started business series, local entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch their business idea to a panel of judges consisting of successful entrepreneurs and distinguished experts such as Quint Studer and Peter Nowak.

All contestants and event attendees will receive valuable advice from the judges at the conclusion of each pitch.

In 2015, Get Started held more than 18 pitch events across the country and awarded more than $250,000 in cash and prizes to local entrepreneurs. For more information on Get Started, please visit www.coxblue.com.

Get Started is teaming with the 2016 EntreCon event to offer outstanding advice and guidance to local business owners. Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity for face-to-face interaction with potential investors while entering them into the alumni network of former Get Started competitors and winners. Pitches take place in front of a live audience, providing entrepreneurs additional exposure for their business idea.

Local entrepreneurs interested in competing in Get Started can sign up at www.coxblue.com/getstartedpensacola, where they must provide a 250-word description of the idea or business plan to be pitched.

Applications will close Friday, Oct. 7, 2016.  Entrants will be notified by Oct. 12, 2016 if they have been selected as a finalist.

The five finalists will receive coaching sessions courtesy of the Small Business Development Center at the University of West Florida in advance of the competition to prepare.

To be part of the live audience at Get Started, visit www.coxblue.com/getstartedpensacola to secure your free admission.

EntreCon Pensacola 2016 — is set for Nov. 3-4 at Pensacola Little Theater. The two-day workshop will feature speakers and breakout sessions designed to inspire and support entrepreneurs. Whether you are just starting out or entering the mentorship phase of the Entrepreneur's Life Cycle, EntreCon's slate of speakers has something for everyone.
For details, click here.

 

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