Our sponsorship levels consist of 5 tiers of support to accommodate your goals: Title Sponsor, Advocate, Partner, Supporter, and Friend. If you, as an individual, or your company is interested in being a ‘Pitch’ sponsor, please reach out to us for more information. Contact Sarah Foshay, sfoshay@elgincfdc.ca 519-633-7597 ext 328.

The Pitch is an annual Dragons’ Den-Style business plan competition and exciting event in which 5 local Elgin County businesses or aspiring entrepreneurs compete for a chance to win a grand prize package of cash and in-kind prizes to support their venture.

The Pitch will be in-person and presented live Tentative January 29, 2024.

Existing businesses or aspiring entrepreneurs of any age in Elgin County, including St. Thomas, can submit their application form.  If you submitted a business plan before but were not a past winner or finalists, you may resubmit an updated application form.

EBRC staff, Board of Directors and immediate family members, and businesses outside of Elgin County are not eligible to enter The Pitch. If you have been the winner or a finalist in the past, you must wait five (5) consecutive years from date of participation to be eligible to enter The Pitch again.

To enter, businesses or aspiring entrepreneurs will be required to submit their application form to Sarah Foshay, sfoshay@elgincfdc.ca, by 4pm November 4, 2024.

Application forms will need to be submitted to Sarah Foshay, sfoshay@elgincfdc.ca, by 4pm November 4, 2024.

Other important dates to remember
November – Finalists selected
November – Finalists will be notified and provided presentation tips
January – The Grand Finale – Live & In-Person

It’s free to enter.

Cash and in-kind prizes, of which 100% goes towards the grand prize winner and 4 remaining finalists. The entire prize package is announced at the finale along with the sponsors who made the contribution.

The application forms are read and evaluated by the entire Elgin Business Resource Centre staff to determine the top 5 finalists, who will then go on to the grand finale.

Yes, please contact our business advisors, Tara McCaulley, tmccaulley@elgincfdc.ca 519-633-7597 ext 462 or Tanya Wilson, twilson@elgincfdc.ca 519-633-7597 ext 335 to arrange a meeting with one of our business advisors.

The advisors can assist in reviewing the application form and make suggestions you can implement before submitting your final application plan. Please note, we assist clients on a first come, first served basis and cannot provide constructive advice on the business plan deadline date.

A workshop is provided with tips on writing a business plan for the The Pitch September 25th.

No. If you are not able to present at The Pitch, please contact Sarah Foshay sfoshay@elgincfdc.ca 519-633-7597 ext 328, as soon as possible, so we can let another business ‘Pitch’ their business at the finale.

Everyone is welcome to attend the in-person, live presentation of the grand finale. The audience consists of EBRC staff, Board of Directors, local businesses, the general public, media, family, and friends of the finalists.

The grand finale consists of a public speaking presentation element live and in front of an audience. Finalists will be give additional information prior to the event and advice and support on how to enhance their presentation, and create a one page executive summary for the judges.

Yes, finalists can bring family and friends with them to The Pitch Finale. Limited tickets are available due to the capacity of the venue. Tickets are free through Eventbrite. Everyone is invited to attend.

5 finalists are selected.

The 5 finalists will ‘Pitch’ their business at The Pitch in front of a live audience January, 2024. A panel of 4 judges will each ask finalists questions based on their presentation. The 4 judges will then deliberate and vote for the grand prize winner.

The 4 judges are made up of non-biased professionals and/or sponsors.