Last year at this time we wrote about how MIT students were taking on YouTube with “Sexy Pitch” to generate excitement around the MIT $100K Business Plan Competition. And this year MIT is going even more video heavy with launch of a new, first-ever video pitch contest called YouPitch.
Part of the beauty of YouPitch is that it is open to more than just the MIT community. Students from across the globe are invited to submit 60-second video clips of their business plan elevator pitch over YouTube. They are then asked to promote these videos to solicit as many “likes” on YouTube and retweets as possible. The MIT $100k Twitter handle @MIT100K and MIT100k Facebook page will also be promoting submitted YouPitch videos to their community to solicit more votes.
On May 1st, the three most popular YouPitches by YouTube Like count will make it to the final round of judging. The winner will be invited and flown to the $100k Business Plan finale show on May 11th, taking home a $2,000 cash prize.
“The MIT $100K has inspired hundreds of MIT students to start innovative companies” says Kourosh Kaghazian, MIT $100K’s Managing Director. “We are excited to provide a platform for students from across the globe to participate.”
Last year the $100K competition launched a Twitter-based “Twitch” contest, which attracted pitches over Twitter from 13 countries. Organizers hope YouPitch attracts even more submissions from across the globe this year.
With low technological barriers, low costs and the potential for viral distribution, we’ve written about the power of online video: from using it to help your resume stand out and increase your marketing effectiveness to even how Major League Baseball scouts are leveraging it. Kudos to MIT for adding this new pitch track!
For more information on how to submit your pitch, visit www.mit100k.org/contests/youpitch. Interested in learning about the semi finalists in the running for the $100k Business Plan Competition? Check out our rundown from when the startups were announced on the evening of March 3rd: “MIT $100k Semi Finalists Announced.”
Miss Sexy Pitch last year (it got almost 8,000 views)? Enjoy below!
