Big Gig business pitch contest set to kick off delayed season
Courtesy / Office of Innovation and Economic Development, University of Maine
Zachary Dalrymple, co-founder of seafood traceability provider Genuine Standards Inc., shown making his pitch at a Big Gig pitch-off in 2019.
A month after entrepreneur Lauren Tuell won the Bangor Big Gig pitch competition for her Mainely Succulents plant startup, organizers are getting ready to launch the next season.
It will officially kick off Nov. 17 with three entrepreneurs presenting an existing business or business concept in a virtual format, for the chance to win a $500 cash prize.
Later, each of the winners from the three regular season pitch-offs will compete against one another in the Big Gig Finale for a chance to win $5,000.
Big Gig is a partnership among a group of municipalities, universities and organizers in Maine's Penobscot River Valley, who have been working with local innovators and entrepreneurs since 2012 to create a supportive network and to bring economic growth to their communities.
In normal times, there is a live Big Gig pitch-off event in a different and location every month with in-person networking and socializing over drinks and appetizers.
This year, the pandemic forced organizers to change the timing and move to a virtual format, with the finale for the previous season held in October rather than April.
This Friday's virtual event kicks off the 2020-21 season of a show that organizers liken to a kinder, gentler version of "Shark Tank," the ABC television series.
"We like to brand ourselves as more of a 'dolphin tank' versus a 'shark tank,'" Renee Kelly, assistant vice president for innovation and economic development at the University of Maine and head of the Big Gig steering committee, told Mainebiz.
"The event is not just about the prize money," she added. "It's about these entrepreneurs gaining exposure for their idea and making connections that can help them succeed."
On that note, she referenced an audition called the Little Gig to choose the three innovators who will pitch on Nov. 17. She said there are 21 applicants for the three slots, and that the Little Gig audition is Tuesday night.
"At the Little Gig, it is very low pressure, and we provide advice, support and connections for all of the entrepreneurs," she said. "Entrepreneurs who don't even make it to the event still walk away with valuable resources."
Viewers can tune in to the season debut on Nov. 17, from 5:30-7 p.m. There will be three other virtual pitch-off events during the season, scheduled for Jan. 26, March 9 and April 13.
"We're looking for innovators and entrepreneurs from Maine who have a big idea for launching a new product, service or company," Kelly said. "We've had applicants from around the state in prior seasons, but being virtual, it is even easier now for people with big ideas from anywhere in Maine to participate."
Bangor Savings Bank is the Big Gig prize sponsor.
Law firm Eaton Peabody and Maine Technology Institute are so-called bootstrap sponsors, while the city of Brewer, the city of Old Town, the University of Maine's Foster Center for Student Innovation, the town of Orono and the Orono Economic Development Association are known as crowdfunder sponsors.
Find out more and get the full season schedule here.
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