On Tuesday, March 28, from 4-8 p.m. at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center Innovation Center, RISE Collaborative will host the RISE Business Pitch Competition (BPC), Southern Virginia’s first region-wide business pitch competition. The event is open to the media and will provide opportunities for photos, video and interviews with participants and event organizers.

The Business Pitch Competition will feature award categories for start-ups, existing businesses, and female founders, awarding more than $15,000 in prize money to Southern Virginia entrepreneurs and business owners.

Winners of the Business Pitch Competition will be announced during a virtual celebration event on April 4 at 6:00pm.

Event Details

What: RISE Business Pitch Competition
When: March 28, 2023 (4-8 p.m.)
Where: Southern Virginia Higher Education Center – Innovation Center – 605 Seymour Drive, South Boston, VA

The application to pitch is closed, but there is still time to register to attend as a member of the audience. Audience members can register here.

RISE Collaborative’s first annual pitch competition is made possible by partnerships with sponsors from across Southern Virginia, including Benchmark Community Bank, American National Bank & Trust, First Citizens Bank, Letterpress Communications, Long & Foster Real Estate, Longwood University Office of Community & Economic Development, Southside Electric Cooperative, and SOVA Innovation Hub Corporation.

Contacts

• Brandon Hennessey, Longwood University & RISE Collaborative
  (434) 395-2752 | hennesseydb@longwood.com
• Lauren Mathena, SOVA Innovation Hub & RISE Collaborative
  (434) 570-1321 | lauren.mathena@mbc-va.com

About RISE Collaborative
RISE Collaborative is a regional initiative to create a network of entrepreneurs and business service providers across Southern Virginia (GO Virginia Region 3). The initiative is co-managed by two primary entities: Longwood Office of Community & Economic Development (Farmville, Va.), which includes the Longwood Small Business Development Center (serving the region) and SOVA Innovation Hub (South Boston, Va.). RISE Collaborative provides guidance to entrepreneurs and business owners through a number of ongoing programs every year, including a virtual business bootcamp, student entrepreneurship programs, the regional Business Pitch Competition and more. For more information, visit SOVARISE.com.