Celebrating 19 years of amazing elevator pitches!
About the Elevator Pitch Competition (EPC)
Sponsored by:
Special prizes awarded by:
The Grove City College Elevator Pitch Competition, established in 2007, affords all students the opportunity to pitch their new venture ideas to a panel of judges, offering cash prizes in two categories – Commercial Enterprise and Social Enterprise. The competition is open to students from all majors. For team ventures, all members must be present, and one student will deliver the pitch. If registering as a team, only one student from the team should complete the official “GCC Elevator Pitch Application Form,” but each teammate and his/her contact information should be listed. It is free to enter the competition.
The “elevator” pitch is a frequently used term, which literally means “tell me about your new venture within the time it would take to ride up an elevator.” The goal of the Elevator Pitch Competition is to teach students to communicate effectively and allow their charisma and positive characteristics to shine through in just a short pitch. The Elevator Pitch Competition demonstrates the networking and presentation skills essential to any entrepreneur or business professional. Please note that ideas may be at any stage of development from creation of concepts or ideas to an established venture.
2 minutes could change your life. Are you ready?
Who Should Participate?
- The Grove City College Elevator Pitch Competition is open to current Grove City College students of any major.
- GCC students interested in enhancing their presentation skills
- GCC students who want to explore the idea of starting a new venture
- GCC students planning to possibly prepare/vet your idea for VentureLab, VentureLaunch, and/or the Wolverine Venture Battle
Why Participate?
- This is your chance to showcase your talents and passion for changing the world through entrepreneurship + innovation.
- It’s an opportunity to present your commercial or social innovation in a positive atmosphere.
- Why not receive recognition for the merits of the presentation of your idea with the possibility of cash awards?
How did the 2025 Elevator Pitch Competition go down?
Timeline 2025
September 19: Registration Closes
October 3: Video Submission Deadline
October 24: Finalists Announced
November 12: Final Round
Commercial Enterprise Prizes:
1st Place-$500
2nd Place-$400
3rd Place-$300
4th Place-$200
Social Enterprise Prizes:
1st Place-$500
2nd Place-$400
3rd Place-$300
BONUS: FAN FAVORITE PRIZE–$100
– audience votes via text.
Grove City Foundation Social Impact Prize–$500
– awarded to one social enterprise team deemed to have the greatest potential for local impact.
Hudson Financial Advisors Prize–$1000
– awarded to one team chosen by Hudson Financial Advisors, Inc.
ROUND 1
Registration
To register, students must first create a Reviewr account by clicking on the button below. After you create your account, you will be prompted to submit a few pieces of key information about your idea to complete registration. Once registered, students should starting working to create and record their elevator pitch as ALL REGISTRANTS WILL ADVANCE TO ROUND 2! Please read the EPC User’s Guide in it’s entirety, as failure to comply with the rules in the guide will result in disqualification.
Information Required:
- Name of your venture
- Is it social or commercial?
- Individual/Team Member(s) Information
- Short idea description (1-2 sentences)
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED!
ROUND 2
Video Submission
In a video recording that is no longer than two minutes, deliver your pitch to the Elevator Pitch Review Panel. The EPC Review Panel will choose the TOP SCORING TEAMS to compete in ROUND 3 (THE FINALS) based on the judging rubrics (above).
Feedback will be provided to the finalists in order to guide them as to how they should proceed to strengthen their pitch in the final round.
Information to consider and include in your pitch:
• What is the problem? Tell a story! Paint a picture!
• What is your solution?
• What is your organization’s name, and who are you?
• Why you?
• What is it like/similar to?
• How is it different from the competition?
• How are you going to make money? (Social = become sustainable)
• How can you expand in the future?
The submission deadline has passed!
ROUND 3—FINALS
Final Presentations; Wednesday, November 12, 2025 @ 7PM in Sticht Lecture Hall, Staley Hall of Arts & Letters
Join us as the Finalists pitch their Commercial or Social Enterprise idea in a live final presentation. Audience members can vote for the FAN FAVORITE! EVERYONE is invited to attend.
Check out competitions from years past!
See who won, watch the pitches, and get the intel you need to win this year!
2025 Reviewers
Interested in being a part of the Elevator Pitch Competition? We are looking for Reviewers to watch student pitch videos and help determine which students will advance to Round 3— The Finals! There is no need to come to campus. The process is easy and entirely remote and can be done from the comfort of your own home or office. This is your opportunity to get involved! Won’t you join us?
Reviewer registration is now closed.
Reviewers who registered can expect to receive their assignments by Oct. 8 via email.
Deadline to complete and submit reviews: October 22, 2025
2025 Judges
SOCIAL + COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE JUDGES
Don Tharp
Hudson Financial Advisors, Inc.
Mitch McFeely
NexTier Bank
Elisabeth O'Brien '16
IHG Hotels & Resorts
Mark Pentz '81
Calvin Group
Michael Pentz '06
Calvin Group
SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE - $500
Awarded to one social enterprise team deemed to have the greatest potential for local impact.
Dorene Powell
President, The Grove City Foundation
Hudson Financial Advisors Prize - $1000
Awarded to one team chosen by Hudson Financial Advisors, Inc.
Don Tharp
Hudson Financial Advisors, Inc.