Startup Pitch Competition
The Sabaragamuwa University Startup Pitch Competition is an event for undergraduate students to expose their innovative products, technologies, services and prototypes to an expert panel of investors, venture capitalists and academics which will be held parallel to the 5th Applied Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium organized by the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka (SUSL).
Eligibility
1
The competition is open to all undergraduate students from universities and higher education institutes recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
2
Participants must have active enrollments as undergraduates at one of the institutions recognized by UGC and can take part in this event as individuals or teams. A team shall comprise a maximum of three members.
Terms and Conditions
1
The concepts submitted for the competition must be original, innovative, and developed by the participants. Selected participants will be required to demonstrate the feasibility of their proposed solution through a prototype in the subsequent stage of the competition. The prototype should effectively represent the key features, functionality, or value proposition of the proposed product, service, technology, or business idea. . If it is a product or technology that is presented, it must have been originated in year 2025(From 1st January 2025) or later.
2
If there is already a business or company associated with the product proposed in the competition, it should be at its early stages of equity financing (“pre-seed” or “seed”).
3
The sum of equity shares of all third-party investors involved should not exceed 25% at the time of the pitch.
4
Participant may include information on any patents or scientific publications relevant to the pitch in the application.
5
By submitting the application for the competition, all participants
agree to comply with the
Code of Ethics developed by the University Business Linkage
Cell
(UBLC) of SUSL on
intellectual property rights. Those who breach this contract will be immediately
disqualified
from the competition.
6
The Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka reserves the right to eliminate the participant from the competition at any stage of the competition if the conditions (1), (2) or (3) above are not met by the participant.
Application Process
1
Carefully review the competition objectives, eligibility criteria, submission requirements, and evaluation process before applying.
2
Complete the online registration form and submit a concept paper (maximum 300 words) describing your innovative product, service, technology, or business idea (through the registration form) to gain preliminary access to the competition.
Apply Here
3
All submissions will be screened to ensure they meet the competition requirements and submission guidelines.
4
An expert evaluation panel will assess the submitted concepts based on innovation, originality, feasibility, and potential impact.Selected participants will be invited to proceed to the next stage of the competition, where they will further develop and present a prototype of their proposed solution.
Competition
Step 1
Once admitted into the competition, Eligible participants will be required to submit a short video presentation (maximum 5 minutes with additional time for question and answering) explaining their innovation. The video should clearly demonstrate the concept and include a working prototype, product, service, or proof-of-concept that enables the evaluation panel to assess the feasibility and innovation of the proposed solution.
Step 2
The submitted videos and prototypes will be evaluated by an expert panel based on innovation, originality, feasibility, potential impact, and presentation quality. Following the evaluation process, the most promising innovations will be shortlisted for the final round.
Step 3
Shortlisted participants will be officially informed and invited to participate in the final pitching session of the competition.
Step 4
Finalists will present their innovations before a professional judging panel. Participants will be required to demonstrate their solution and explain its value proposition, innovation, feasibility, and potential impact.
Step 5
Based on the final evaluation, awards will be presented for the Best Innovation and the Most Popular Innovation. Winners will receive medals, certificates, and gain exposure to industry mentorship, development support, and potential commercialization..
Evaluation and Assessment
The panel of judges may consider, but not limited to, how the following factors and issues relevant to the proposed startup are discussed, presented, clarified and defended during the pitch for evaluation and assessment of the startup.
The product description and the intended problem to solve
Market research statistics
Competing products and companies, and product comparison.
Business model of the startup
Current product development stage
Live demonstration of product or proof of product functionality
Prospective developments to the product
Current distribution of equity among current investors if any
Prospective product unit price and anticipated profit margin
Reliability of the product and revenue model, and risks involved
Timeline of key stages of the business
Authenticity of the product, participant and pitch
Overall efficiency and effectiveness of the pitch
The panel of judges will make decisions on the evaluation and assessment criteria employed and results of the competition.
Disclaimer
The Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka:
1
Shall not held liable for the dissemination of the material presented and shared by participants during the competition to a third party.
2
Will not move to discourage or disallow the dissemination of material presented and shared by participants during the competition to a third party.
3
Waives the right to ownership of the intellectual property of the material disseminated during the competition, hence shall not be held liable for infringement of intellectual property rights of participants by a third party.
Copyright Ownership
Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka will own the copyright to all audio and visual media, and creative work of the event. It also reserves the right to record such media of the participants subjected to verbal consent by the participants and publish them in its sole discretion.
For Further Information
| Ms. H.M.C.J Nawarathne | Ms. M.M.D Fernando |
|---|---|
| Symposium Secretary | Cooridinator - Startup Pitch Competition |
| secretary@apsurs.sab.ac.lk | madhushi@ms.sab.ac.lk |
| 0712122786 | 0776349715 |
