It’s like Dragon’s Den, but instead of impressing millionaire investors with a profitable startup, these Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) students are preparing to deliver their best business pitch to industry and alumni judges.
On May 1, eight student teams from KPU will put their best foot forward at the second annual Student Pitch Competition. The interdisciplinary competition at KPU Richmond will bring together a diverse group of students determined to convince judges their business, product, innovation or social initiative is worth supporting.
Of the 25 student teams who applied for the competition, 15 were selected to make their pitches in a preliminary round. Pitches from the eight remaining teams span productivity and wellness tools, gaming and clean energy systems, and fashion and performance apparel.
Winners receive cash prizes, and access to alumni mentorship to support a business launch, while all participants get practice with communication and entrepreneurial skills and gain valuable feedback from faculty mentors and industry judges. That feedback can help students refine their ideas and strengthen pitches for investors — and ultimately carry their idea forward.
Last year’s winners are doing just that.
Honey Mathew, Dyle Cortez and Siddhanta Roy — students from Melville School of Business — earned first place last year for pitching a business concept called Harmony Packaging Solutions, which aims to convert agricultural waste into sustainable packaging materials. The team envisions scaling this initiative to developing and least-developed nations to prevent pollution and create circular economy solutions.
“I learned a lot, not just in theory, but in actually applying business concepts, and we’re still working on growing the business. It’s been really wonderful to see how far we’ve come with the support from the Melville School of Business,” says Mathew.
“The most memorable part of the pitch competition for me was actually the preparation itself, the amount of refinement and the kind of discussions we had with professors and mentors. It was so fulfilling. Usually, long discussions can feel draining, but in this case, every conversation left me more energized and motivated. That was a completely new experience for me.”
In the leadup to the competition, participants receive support from faculty members through practice sessions to enhance their bold ideas to take their pitch to the next level.
“The competition is an entrepreneurial launch opportunity where students develop practical entrepreneurial skills, including pitching, presentation and business planning — through hands-on experience,” says Nina Jauernig, a Melville School of Business faculty instructor and Student Pitch Competition Project Manager.
Tigran Ghasumyan, who earned third-place accolades in last year’s competition, says the event provides a valuable opportunity for would-be entrepreneurs to pitch in front of a live audience and hone their business idea.
“What was most memorable about preparing my winning pitch was developing the communication skills needed to clearly deliver my position. I had run through several pitches, and the final one was the one that felt the most natural,” says Ghasumyan.
The final Student Pitch Competition round takes place Friday, May 1 and features keynote speaker Larisa Gorodetsky, CEO of New Life Management Services. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Melville Conference Centre at KPU Richmond, 8771 Lansdowne Rd. The event is open to the public and admission is free; register online.
