Blue Economy Pitch Program

The ECU Office of Licensing and Commercialization’s (L&C) mission is to assist faculty, students and staff in transforming ideas into real world solutions that can transform the region’s economy and can have a direct impact on individuals living in Eastern North Carolina. To help further this mission, L&C  is holding a business development program and competition for faculty, students, and staff that have innovations related to the blue economy.

Following the National Science Foundation I-Corps model, teams will participate in four virtual training sessions that cover customer discovery, problem/solution alignment, business development, and funding. Each virtual training session will feature a keynote speaker related to the session’s topic. All eligible teams that complete the four training sessions and coursework will have access to $5,000 in funds for prototyping, proof of concept, and/or travel to conduct customer discovery. Following the four sessions, teams will pitch in-person with a single team receiving $5,000 in funding to help accelerate the development of their innovation.

2024 Winners: 

Judges: 

Sarah Bernart – Existing Industry Expansions Manager, Northeast Region, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina

Gabe Dough – Founder of Shure Foods, Agave Health, and QOL-Apps

Derrick Welch – NCInnovation East Regional Innovation Network Director

Funding:

Competition Pitch Funding:

1st Place – $5,000*

2nd Place – $1,000*

*Certain restrictions apply to how the funding may be used. 

Rules and Requirements:

To be considered for the challenge, the idea or innovation must be related to the blue economy. If you are not familiar with the term Blue Economy, it refers to the sustainable and economic use, and conservation, of aquatic resources in both marine and freshwater environments. This includes oceans and seas, coastlines and banks, lakes, rivers and groundwater. Ideas that are in the concept phase are strongly encouraged to apply.

Teams may be comprised of faculty, students, staff and/or friends of ECU.

To receive $5,000 in I-Corps funding the following must be met: 1) At least one team member must attend all the instructional sessions, 2) Completion of 15 quality customer interviews (surveys do not count), 3) Satisfactory achievement on all assignments, 4) Clear connection to STEM, and 5) Demonstration of professionalism throughout the program.

To be eligible for the in-person pitch competition the following must be met: 1) At least one team member must attend all the instructional sessions, 2) Satisfactory achievement on all assignments, 3) Clear connection to the blue economy, and 4) Demonstration of professionalism throughout the program.

Pitch Competition Overview: 

Each team will have 5 minutes to present their innovation and will be allowed a maximum of 5 slides, including a title slide.  Judges will be allowed to ask questions of each team following the presentation. Slides should be in .pptx format, be in a 16:9 widescreen slide size, and must be submitted to the event coordinator 48 hours prior to the event. Use of font types that are typically not available in Microsoft PowerPoint are discouraged as they may not display properly on the event computer. Presentations are to spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps, or songs). No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted. Props such as tablets and/or laptops that have a virtual demo are allowed. Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech. The decision(s) of the head judge and moderator is final. During the competition, each team will be judged on the following criteria: Problem, Solution, Problem/Solution Alignment, Technological Feasibility, Proof of Concept, Proposed Use of Funds, Team, Customer Discovery, Impact, and Business Model. Each criterion is worth 10 points for a total score of 100 points.

For questions about the event contact Dr. Carlyle Rogers, Director, Licensing & Commercialization