How can I register for the chance to be part of the Pahrump Pitch Room event for small businesses?

This March, StartUpNV, with support from the Southwest Central Regional Economic Development Authority (SWCREDA) and the Nevada Small Business Development Center (SBDC), is bringing an exciting opportunity to entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners in the valley.

Known as the Pitch Room, this event will give selected startups the chance to present their ideas to business development experts and receive invaluable advice and critiques, as well a potential funding resources. And to ensure Pahrump’s potential businesses are ready for the Pitch Room, a series of educational videos is being made available to all those who register.

“The Pitch Rooms are done all over and we knew it would be beneficial to have one here in Pahrump. Learning how to think it through, put it together and then stand in front of people to pitch your business – it’s a really great thing,” SWCREDA Assistant Executive Director and SBDC Rural Business Advisor Donna Corey told the Pahrump Valley Times, adding, “I get pitched every day – it’s part of my job to help people flesh it all out, to take them through all the steps of doing an LLC and finding funding. And it runs from medical services to mining to automotive to cottage industry; it runs the gambit. So, it would be so amazing for them to get a taste of doing this.”

Heading up the Pitch Room event in Pahrump is Maggie Saling with StartUp NV.

“StartUp NV is a statewide incubator and accelerator and we have a lot of programs for training entrepreneurs or people who want to be entrepreneurs,” Saling explained for the Times. “The Pitch Room started in Las Vegas last year and since it was so well-received and the business founders felt so supported by it, we decided we are going to continue doing that in Las Vegas as well as Reno on a quarterly basis.

“We try to do rural outreach as well and for Pahrump, we thought it would be better to do things a little bit differently. Instead of having private pitches to just a panel of investors and mentors, we decided to make it more public. We also thought we should give the entrepreneurs of Pahrump a little more instruction beforehand, to help them prepare a deck and then to get some community support – to get people at the Pitch Room cheering on these small businesses,” Saling continued. “Instead of bringing in investors, we wanted to bring in people who are more likely to be hearing from these companies with the potential to loan them money or support them with a grant. So, the idea is to have judges who are more oriented toward SBA loans or USDA grants. That’s how it’s different.”

Anyone with a business idea can register for the Pitch Room, with five applicants to be selected for the actual event. All registrants, however, will gain access to the educational series, which will provide plenty of information they can utilize long into the future. The series includes “Business Model Canvas”, “Market Research: TAM SAM SOM”, and “Pitch Decks 101”. The first was released Feb. 12 and the next two will be released on Feb. 19 and Feb. 27, respectively.

“The ‘Business Model Canvas’ is a really condensed way of depicting your business plan,” Saling detailed. “The ‘Market Research’ session is on customer discovery and this is really important because, you may think you have the best invention since sliced bread but, will anybody pay for it? The way you figure that out is by doing customer discovery. The last session is on how to create a pitch deck and what topics you should cover in that pitch deck.”

These informational sessions are recorded on video and will be available up until the Pitch Room event, set for March 19. At that event, the five business founders who are picked will get seven minutes to present, followed by 10 minutes of direct, actionable feedback.

“Get insights to strengthen your pitch and grow your business. Get direct feedback from people who’ve seen hundreds of pitches. Walk away knowing what’s landing, what’s confusing and what needs work before your next investor meeting,” information on the event detailed.

The deadline to apply for the Pitch room is Friday, March 6.

“Even if you are still years from where you would be pitching for investment, this gives you the basics on how to talk about your business and how to present it in a coherent manner,” Saling stated.

To register for the education series and the chance to be picked for the Pitch Room, visit tinyurl.com/yrmbmeer

For more information contact Saling at Maggie@StartupNV.org or Corey at DCorey@swcreda.com

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com