Creative Capital Pitch Session – $1000 Prize!
On February 12th, your most innovative and creative idea could earn you a quick $1000!
Invest Nebraska, Silicon Prairie News and Nomad Lounge have partnered to bring our state's most creative ideas together for 2009's first Creative Capital Pitch Session!
Nebraska is full of creative designers and innovative entrepreneurs. Now is the time to highlight what we have! Now is your time to have others recognize the new ideas you have!
Sponsored by:    |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there really a $1000 prize?! Whats the catch?
The winner on February 12th will most definitely walk away with a cool $1000. Probably not one of those huge cardboard checks, but $1000 nonetheless. There are no strings attached, though you won't be eligible for future Invest Nebraska pitch competitions.
What is the deadline?
All videos have to be uploaded by February 10th!
How do I submit a video?
You simply need to shoot a 60 video clip of yourself talking up your idea. Then upload that video to Youtube. Once that is complete, simply fill out the entry form, and thats it! We will post all of the video submissions, and will notify the top 10 entries one week prior to the event.
Whats the format for the "Live" event on February 12th?
The top 10 videos submitted to the SPN site will present their idea LIVE at Nomad Lounge on February 12th starting @ 7:30pm. Each presenter will get 5 minutes to further explain their business or idea. The audience will vote on who's idea they think is the best, and the winner will be awarded the $1000 prize.
What types of ideas are valid?
The best ideas will be those that have a potential business model, and those ideas which are truly innovative. This could be a fancy new web-application, a better mousetrap, or anything in between. In the 60 second video, simply WOW us with your passion for the idea. In the 5 minute pitch, give us a sense for the potential market, its viability, why its innovative, and why you're excited about the concept.
What are you waiting for? The $1000 prize could be yours. Submit your video today!
ARCHIVED COMMENTS
I'm in. What is the deadline for submitting a video?
What happens with the winning idea afterwards? Is it funded to realize it as a business?
@Ben - Deadline is 1 week prior to the event.
@Corey - No specific additional funding afterwards... But there will be investors in the audience, plus attention on SPN and various media outlets. I would imagine that having a great idea, and being the winner, would go a long way towards connecting you with people that would be able to provide additional funding.
I might be interested. This is an awesome opportunity and an exciting one at that!
How do you prevent someone from stealing your idea? Especially putting it up on youtube or to a large audience? I like the concept but is there anything to prevent someone from saying "Great idea, why pay you to develop it when I can do it myself?"
Jeff / Dusty - Awesome! I am going to put something together for this!
@Timothy - If its /that/ great of an idea, others have probably thought of it and are probably working on it. I know that is the case with my idea.
I look at this as an opportunity to get my idea heard by people who might find it interesting and be willing to help on it.
@Timothy - You could just name the video obscurely and tag it with unrelated things so it is harder for people to find on YouTube. It'd still be public, but there would be a smaller chance of someone viewing it. Then just take it down after the competition.
I can't wait to hear all of great ideas!
@ Ben & Matt - True, you guys are right. I just have visions of Sean Fanning staying up all night coding Napster convinced someone else had thought of the idea and worried someone would steal his. I'm out of town and will miss it but I'll send my wife. I'm sure she's always looking for an excuse to go to Nomads.
What time are the festivities kicking off?
This will be fun!!!
Can we submit multiple ideas for consideration. I have plenty!
This should be an interesting competition. Game on fellow idealists.
@Timothy - Think of it not so much as "somebody will steal my idea", but rather "how can I get my idea in front of people who can help me make it happen". There will be investors, developers, designers andbusiness folks in the room, which is a heck of an opportunity to showcase your idea and hopefully match up with someone who can help you make it a reality. Remember, ideas are a commodity (http://is.gd/hVGx), "doing" things is what matters.
@Stef - The festivities will likely kick off around 7pm, with the presentations starting at 7:30!
@omahajoe - You can *definitely* submit multiple ideas. However, I'm pretty sure only one can make it into the final 10. However, this can increase your chances of winning for sure!
Thanks for all the great comments everyone! Keep them coming, and get some videos submitted! We hope to see you all there the night of the 12th!
One more thing... If you're looking for examples of the types of videos to submit, check out the Techcrunch Elevator Pitch site (http://pitches.techcrunch.com/)
is this something that is put on each year?
@Carmen - This is the first one, but the hope is to have a couple of these per year. Not sure when the next one will be, but probably within a few months!
Can I suggest changing "bring our city’s most creative ideas " to say "bring our state’s ... " - since you aren't limiting this to Omaha folks? Just a suggestion..... :-)
Does the idea have to be something concrete and in-progress with a working demo? Or can it merely be a well-thought-out idea with explanation/analysis and some mock-ups?
@engiles - Point well taken and edit made! Hope to see you there!
@Ben Schaechter - a well thought out idea with a 60 second intro video and 5 minute presentation ready will secure you a spot at the dance...and maybe even $1K!
Get ready for Contemporary Analysis ya'll!
I'm flying back early just for this. I'm excited to see what this is all about.
I was wondering if we could be eligible if we are an existing business wanting to expand our scope? If so, we would ask for the extension to work on the video since I just saw this. Even so, I look forward to attending.
@Bob - Definitely are eligible! We welcome any and all ideas. You can definitely have an extension if you'd like, I believe that we'll be extending it for everyone due to the confusion on dates. Looking forward to your submission!