Launch Day
REGISTRATION COMING IN 2023
2022 LAUNCH RURAL NEVADA PITCH DAY DETAILS
The third annual Nevada Rural Pitch Day contest is an opportunity for anyone in rural Nevada with a business idea or existing business to pitch their concept, gain expert advice, and possibly win a cash prize to kick their idea or pivot into action!
Again this year, we will have two tracks, one for adults and one for students in middle and high school. The prizes are the same for both tracks.
Four individuals or groups with a business concept will have the opportunity to pitch an original business idea, to a panel of experts and an audience of entrepreneurs, small business owners, potential investors, students, and business and community leaders on November 4, 2022, virtually, and in person at the following locations:
Great Basin Community College:
Elko Center: 1500 College Pkwy, Elko, NV 89801
Ely Center: 2115 Bobcat Drive, Ely, NV 89301
Winnemucca Center: 5490 Kluncy Canyon Rd, Winnemucca, NV 89445
Pahrump Center: 551 East Calvada Blvd, Paharump, NV 89048
Western Nevada College: 2201 W College Pkwy, Carson City, NV 89703
Contest Prizes:
- First Place: $4,000
- Second Place: $2,000
- Third Place: $1,000
- Fourth Place: $500
- Audience Choice Award: $500
First place in the adult category receives free submission to StartUpNV’s AngelNV angel creation bootcamp that will award $400K to one Nevada based startup. First place will also win a Sales Strategy Session with Liz Heiman of Regarding Sales.
Audacity Institute will award a coaching session to the business of their choice following the completion of the event.
Chandler Allen, United States Department of Agriculture
Chandler Allen is a member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone tribe of Fallon, Nevada. He served six years in the Nevada Air National Guard during which time he attended the University of Nevada -Reno. He graduated as Top Scholar from the College of Business. He then moved to Washington D.C., where he worked as a Financial Analyst for the Assistant -Secretary of Indian Affairs, Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development. He then moved to Denver where he served as an Economic Development Specialist for the Division of Energy and Mineral Development responsible for overseeing the Tribal Energy Development Capacity grant program. Prior to coming to USDA Rural Development to be the Business Programs Director, he returned to Nevada to be the Economic Development Director for the Fallon Tribal Development Corporation, working to better the economic environment and self-sufficiency of the tribal community.
Contact information
Kathy Halbardier, Business Advisor Nevada Small Business Development Center
Kathy has over 25 years of experience in small business development. She successfully ran her own business operation in the wine industry taking the product from dirt to bottle, selling her product to a variety of local retailers, including Costco. She has taught the NxLeveL business planning course across Rural Nevada, and co-instructed the national Boots to Business: Reboot class to Veterans. She has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from California State University, Fullerton and an MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Contact Information:
Mary Kerner is the CEO of the Rural Nevada Development Corporation (RNDC). Mary has been with RNDC for 20 years. Her passion is helping the small business communities in Rural Nevada. She has been honored as one of the top 10 lenders in the nation by the Small Business Administration and was recently given the Distinguished Leadership Award by the Council of Development Finance Agencies. Her professional development and education include a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, certification as an Economic Development Finance Professional through the National Development Council and she is also a Certified Public Official through the University of Nevada Reno. At RNDC they have private, state and federal funding agencies they work with to bring the best fit to their small business loan clients. RNDC is a private non-profit headquartered in Ely, NV.
Contact information
Sandra Rentas, Nevada Small Business Development Center Business Development Advisor
Sandra Rentas is the Hispanic Business Development Advisor for Nevada Small Business Development Center. A native of Puerto Rico and fluent in Spanish and English, her cultural heritage and language skills has made her a trusted business leader in the Latino community. As a bilingual counselor she advises small business owners and entrepreneurs on how to start, expand and operate a business. She has assisted dozens of Latino business owners through the Small Business Association PPP and EIDL application process. She has a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Nevada Reno.
Contact Information:
Nic Steele, Executive Director Access Community Capital
Nic Steele is the executive director of Access Community Capital Inc., a community loan fund providing affordable capital to small businesses located in Nevada. Access Community Capital is a minority led mission driven organization directed by entrepreneurs who understand the plight of business ownership. As an entrepreneur, Nic knows firsthand how lack of access to affordable capital can adversely affect the trajectory of a business, stifling its growth potential. While also investing in other entrepreneurs, Nic is focused on changing the landscape of opportunity for underserved populations by operating Access Community Capital as a Community Development Financial Institution, compelled to address the inequities present in the lending landscape. Nic is most excited about his current role as both a lender and business advisor to entrepreneurs developing their own ideas into successful companies.
Contact Information
Launch Rural Nevada Pitch Day Agenda
Launch Rural Nevada Locations
VIRTUAL:
Virtual platform and credentials will be provided upon registration for event.
LIVE:
Great Basin Community College Centers
Elko:
Greenhaw Technical Arts Center (GTA) Room #130
1500 College Parkway, Elko, NV 89801
Ely:
GBC Room #111
2115 Bobcat Drive, Ely, NV 89301
Winnemucca:
GBC Room #124
5490 Kluncy Canyon Rd, Winnemucca, NV 89445
Pahrump
Pahrump Valley Center (PVC) Room #117
551 East Calvada Blvd, Paharump, NV 89048
Western Nevada College
DINI 201
2201 West College Parkway, Carson City, NV 89703
Dr. Mariluz Garcia is a first-generation college student who was born and raised in Elko, but her father is from the Basque Country and her mother is from Mexico. After high school, she moved to Reno to attend the University of Nevada, Reno where she earned all three of her college degrees. Dr. Garcia has 19 years’ experience working with low-income, first-generation students and has served as the Executive Director of the Dean’s Future Scholars program for ten years. In 2021, Dr. Garcia was granted 4 million dollars from Senate Bill 461 to found the Nevada First-Gen Network to help prospective first-generation college students who were negatively impacted by the pandemic throughout Nevada.
Sandy Gordon has been with Nevada State Development Corporation for the past seven years. Prior to this she has worked in the banking and finance sector for the past 25-years in both consumer and commercial lending capacities with both national and local financial institutions. Sandy is certified as a clinical hypnotherapist and paralegal, loves to officiate wedding ceremonies and had her own business as a licensed contractor for many years. An endurance event enthusiast Sandy has completed a couple of marathons and climbed Half Dome in Yosemite.
Contact information
Kelli is the executive director for the Fallon Food Hub, a non-profit organization located in rural Nevada. The mission of the food hub is to increase opportunities for local agricultural producers through: community education around the benefits to eating locally and seasonally; the aggregation, sales, and distribution of locally grown produce and farm products; and local, regional, and state level advocacy and policy work. Additionally, Kelli serves as the agricultural advisor for the Nevada Small Business Development Center. Kelli is completing a bachelor’s degree in Organization and Project Management, serves as the president of Emerge Nevada, is an adult fan of lego, and is learning to knit and golf.
Contact Information:
Jarrad is a project manager from Nevada Industry Excellence, who is the official representative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Network in Nevada. He also serves as the industrial extension program for the National System of Higher Education. Jarrad has nearly 20 years of experience in logistics and distribution management in the building products and 3rd party logistics industries. Prior to joining the Nevada of Industry Excellence, he led warehousing and distribution teams at ITS Logistics. Jarrad has a Bachelor of Science, Supply Chain Management from the University of Nevada, Reno
Contact Information:
Vanessa Vancour, Strategist and Founder of Vancourage
Vancourage is a bilingual storytelling and strategic consulting firm for brands, organizations, and people who are deeply committed to amplifying diverse voices and doing things differently. Vanessa is a born storyteller, bilingual editorial consultant, and Latinx marketer who’s committed her 16+-year career to bringing diverse narratives—and meaningful conversations— to every newsroom, classroom, and ad-agency boardroom she’s been a part of.
The third annual Nevada Rural Pitch Day contest is an opportunity for anyone in rural Nevada with a business idea or existing business to pitch their concept, gain expert advice, and possibly win a cash prize to kick their idea or pivot into action!
Again this year, we will have two tracks, one for adults and one for students in middle and high school. The prizes are the same for both tracks.
Four individuals or groups with a business concept will have the opportunity to pitch an original business idea, to a panel of experts and an audience of entrepreneurs, small business owners, potential investors, students, and business and community leaders on November 4, 2022, virtually, and in person at the following locations:
Great Basin Community College:
Elko Center: 1500 College Pkwy, Elko, NV 89801
Ely Center: 2115 Bobcat Drive, Ely, NV 89301
Winnemucca Center: 5490 Kluncy Canyon Rd, Winnemucca, NV 89445
Pahrump Center: 551 East Calvada Blvd, Paharump, NV 89048
Western Nevada College: 2201 W College Pkwy, Carson City, NV 89703
Contest Prizes:
- First Place: $4,000
- Second Place: $2,000
- Third Place: $1,000
- Fourth Place: $500
- Audience Choice Award: $500
First place in the adult category receives free submission to StartUpNV’s AngelNV angel creation bootcamp that will award $400K to one Nevada based startup. First place will also win a Sales Strategy Session with Liz Heiman of Regarding Sales.
Audacity Institute will award a coaching session to the business of their choice following the completion of the event.
Launch Rural Nevada Pitch Day Agenda
Launch Rural Nevada Locations
VIRTUAL:
Virtual platform and credentials will be provided upon registration for event.
LIVE:
Great Basin Community College Centers
Elko:
Greenhaw Technical Arts Center (GTA) Room #130
1500 College Parkway, Elko, NV 89801
Ely:
GBC Room #111
2115 Bobcat Drive, Ely, NV 89301
Winnemucca:
GBC Room #124
5490 Kluncy Canyon Rd, Winnemucca, NV 89445
Pahrump
Pahrump Valley Center (PVC) Room #117
551 East Calvada Blvd, Paharump, NV 89048
Western Nevada College
DINI 201
2201 West College Parkway, Carson City, NV 89703
Chandler Allen, United States Department of Agriculture
Chandler Allen is a member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone tribe of Fallon, Nevada. He served six years in the Nevada Air National Guard during which time he attended the University of Nevada -Reno. He graduated as Top Scholar from the College of Business. He then moved to Washington D.C., where he worked as a Financial Analyst for the Assistant -Secretary of Indian Affairs, Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development. He then moved to Denver where he served as an Economic Development Specialist for the Division of Energy and Mineral Development responsible for overseeing the Tribal Energy Development Capacity grant program. Prior to coming to USDA Rural Development to be the Business Programs Director, he returned to Nevada to be the Economic Development Director for the Fallon Tribal Development Corporation, working to better the economic environment and self-sufficiency of the tribal community.
Contact information
Mariluz Garcia,Ph.D., Founder Nevada First-Gen Network
Dr. Mariluz Garcia is a first-generation college student who was born and raised in Elko, but her father is from the Basque Country and her mother is from Mexico. After high school, she moved to Reno to attend the University of Nevada, Reno where she earned all three of her college degrees. Dr. Garcia has 19 years’ experience working with low-income, first-generation students and has served as the Executive Director of the Dean’s Future Scholars program for ten years. In 2021, Dr. Garcia was granted 4 million dollars from Senate Bill 461 to found the Nevada First-Gen Network to help prospective first-generation college students who were negatively impacted by the pandemic throughout Nevada.
Kathy Halbardier, Business Advisor Nevada Small Business Development Center
Kathy has over 25 years of experience in small business development. She successfully ran her own business operation in the wine industry taking the product from dirt to bottle, selling her product to a variety of local retailers, including Costco. She has taught the NxLeveL business planning course across Rural Nevada, and co-instructed the national Boots to Business: Reboot class to Veterans. She has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from California State University, Fullerton and an MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Contact Information:
Sandy Gordon, Vice President, Business Development Officer Nevada State Development Corporation
Sandy Gordon has been with Nevada State Development Corporation for the past seven years. Prior to this she has worked in the banking and finance sector for the past 25-years in both consumer and commercial lending capacities with both national and local financial institutions. Sandy is certified as a clinical hypnotherapist and paralegal, loves to officiate wedding ceremonies and had her own business as a licensed contractor for many years. An endurance event enthusiast Sandy has completed a couple of marathons and climbed Half Dome in Yosemite.
Contact information
Mary Kerner, CEO Rural Nevada Development Corporation
Mary Kerner is the CEO of the Rural Nevada Development Corporation (RNDC). Mary has been with RNDC for 20 years. Her passion is helping the small business communities in Rural Nevada. She has been honored as one of the top 10 lenders in the nation by the Small Business Administration and was recently given the Distinguished Leadership Award by the Council of Development Finance Agencies. Her professional development and education include a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, certification as an Economic Development Finance Professional through the National Development Council and she is also a Certified Public Official through the University of Nevada Reno. At RNDC they have private, state and federal funding agencies they work with to bring the best fit to their small business loan clients. RNDC is a private non-profit headquartered in Ely, NV.
Contact information
Kelli Kelly, SBDC agricultural advisor and Executive Director Fallon Food Hub
Kelli is the executive director for the Fallon Food Hub, a non-profit organization located in rural Nevada. The mission of the food hub is to increase opportunities for local agricultural producers through: community education around the benefits to eating locally and seasonally; the aggregation, sales, and distribution of locally grown produce and farm products; and local, regional, and state level advocacy and policy work. Additionally, Kelli serves as the agricultural advisor for the Nevada Small Business Development Center. Kelli is completing a bachelor’s degree in Organization and Project Management, serves as the president of Emerge Nevada, is an adult fan of lego, and is learning to knit and golf.
Contact Information:
Sandra Rentas, Nevada Small Business Development Center Business Development Advisor
Sandra Rentas is the Hispanic Business Development Advisor for Nevada Small Business Development Center. A native of Puerto Rico and fluent in Spanish and English, her cultural heritage and language skills has made her a trusted business leader in the Latino community. As a bilingual counselor she advises small business owners and entrepreneurs on how to start, expand and operate a business. She has assisted dozens of Latino business owners through the Small Business Association PPP and EIDL application process. She has a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Nevada Reno.
Contact Information:
Jarrad Prida, Project Manager Nevada Industry Excellence
Jarrad is a project manager from Nevada Industry Excellence, who is the official representative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Network in Nevada. He also serves as the industrial extension program for the National System of Higher Education. Jarrad has nearly 20 years of experience in logistics and distribution management in the building products and 3rd party logistics industries. Prior to joining the Nevada of Industry Excellence, he led warehousing and distribution teams at ITS Logistics. Jarrad has a Bachelor of Science, Supply Chain Management from the University of Nevada, Reno
Contact Information:
Nic Steele, Executive Director Access Community Capital
Nic Steele is the executive director of Access Community Capital Inc., a community loan fund providing affordable capital to small businesses located in Nevada. Access Community Capital is a minority led mission driven organization directed by entrepreneurs who understand the plight of business ownership. As an entrepreneur, Nic knows firsthand how lack of access to affordable capital can adversely affect the trajectory of a business, stifling its growth potential. While also investing in other entrepreneurs, Nic is focused on changing the landscape of opportunity for underserved populations by operating Access Community Capital as a Community Development Financial Institution, compelled to address the inequities present in the lending landscape. Nic is most excited about his current role as both a lender and business advisor to entrepreneurs developing their own ideas into successful companies.
Contact Information
Vanessa Vancour, Strategist and Founder of Vancourage
Vancourage is a bilingual storytelling and strategic consulting firm for brands, organizations, and people who are deeply committed to amplifying diverse voices and doing things differently. Vanessa is a born storyteller, bilingual editorial consultant, and Latinx marketer who’s committed her 16+-year career to bringing diverse narratives—and meaningful conversations— to every newsroom, classroom, and ad-agency boardroom she’s been a part of.
Application and Registration:
The application is open to all, and will be narrowed to 4 (four) entrants for each track, who will be selected by the Nevada Rural Pitch Day organizing committee. The applications are due October 14. Applicants will be notified by October 20th of the organizing committee’s selections.
PITCH DAY RULES:
- The Nevada Rural Pitch Contest is open to individuals who live, work, are students, or those who currently operate a small business in rural Nevada. Submissions must be from individuals or teams with concepts for businesses located in rural Nevada.
- Submissions may be entered as individuals or teams.
- Each individual or team may enter only one idea or concept.
- Pitch contestants may participate on only one team.
- A maximum of two team members may participate in the final pitch to the panel of judges and answer questions from the judges and/or audience.
- Competition is open only to individuals who complete at least 3 of the entrepreneur education videos available online.
- The pitched idea or concept must be the original work of the individual or team. Ideas and concepts deemed by the organizing committee to be deceptive, insincere, offensive, immoral, or unethical may be screened and disqualified.
- Participants can be any age.
Eligibility
Ideas and concepts pitched must be in the start-up or early stage of development. Individuals or teams must disclose any funding already received at the time of registration. Ideas or concepts may already be funded before this competition by personal or family funds, small amounts of seed capital from outside investors, or modest amounts of funding stemming from institutional or research grants. The organizing committee has the sole discretion to determine which teams are invited to pitch. It may also disqualify and/or remove any individual or teams for any reason that it deems appropriate before and/or during the pitch competition for violation of these rules. All decisions regarding team participation in the pitch competition are final.
Disclaimers
Rural Pitch Day – Launch Rural Nevada organizing committee reserves the right to disqualify any applicant or registrant who violates competition rules, or behaves in any manner that is not aligned with the mission and purpose of economic development in rural Nevada.
PITCH GUIDELINES
Objective: The objective of the pitch is to define the idea or concept by explaining a product, service, or value proposition along with the market information to determine its potential and the proposed business model.
Pitch Application: Submit the following information about your idea to RuralNevadaPitchDay@gmail.com.
- Team Contact Information: Include contact name, address, email and telephone.
- Summary of Business idea (limit 250 words)
- Market Analysis (limit 250 words)
- Description of Product/Service (limit 250 words)
- Description of Business Model and Sales Strategy (limit 250 words)
- Names of Team Members
The Pitch is a summary of the idea or concept, i.e. the product or service. Its content is up to the team. Some elements to consider in preparing your pitch include:
- Problem Statement
- Value Proposition of Solution – How will the product or service add value for customers?
- Target Market Characteristics – Who will buy the product or service? How big is the target market?
- Differentiation – How is the product or service different from existing products and services?
- Competitive Analysis – What is the competitive advantage? (patent, algorithm, unique service model, etc.)
- Business Model – How will the product or service generate revenue? Who will buy and what will they pay? (sales, subscription, advertisement, etc.)
- Revenue Estimate – How long will it take to generate revenue and what sales revenue is expected.
PowerPoint or slide presentations are allowed. Contestants may display/share/show prototypes, samples, or posters. Materials may be distributed to the judges (if meeting in person) during the pitch.
Time: Five (5) minutes are allocated to each team’s pitch. Five (5) minutes are allocated to Q & A with the judges. In total, each individual or team pitching will have ten (10) minutes maximum. Time will begin when the presenter begins to speak and introduces him/herself.
Confidentiality: Confidentiality is not guaranteed in any way. Do not include confidential material in your submissions. The pitch competition accepts no responsibility for preventing other competitors, audience members, or judges, sponsors or others who see or hear a pitch competitor’s idea or materials from sharing the idea and/or materials. Nondisclosure Agreements (NDAs) and Covenants Not to Compete between a competitor and organizing committee, judges and/or audience members are not permitted. Sharing your idea or concept may be deemed a public disclosure. It is the responsibility of applicants to consult with an attorney before entering the competition.
Organizers are not responsible for any confidentiality issues that may occur during, or because of, the contest. Pitch Day contestants agree that no liability from disputes arising therefrom.
Reproduction: Organizers may take photographs and/or video of any materials used or made available by pitching individuals or teams during the competition for public relations purposes. Any content presented by a contestant should be considered public information disclosure. Contestants should carefully consider excluding any proprietary information or materials that the competitor feels are at risk of disclosure.
Prize Money: Prize money will be awarded and allocated in equal shares to each individual member of the winning team, or awarded to the business if it already exists. The individual recipients of prize money will be responsible for the tax implications of their winnings. Contest prize money payments may be considered by the Internal Revenue Service as ordinary income to the individual(s) or team members receiving the prize money. For school age contestants a disclosure and permission must be signed by a parent or guardian and this person will receive prize money.
Contact: For any questions about the pitch, please contact us at RuralNevadaPitchDay@gmail.com.
Acknowledgement: Entrants acknowledge that by submitting the application to participate, they have consented to the rules of Rural Nevada Pitch Day contest.