Chicago Startups: Pitch Training Camp Starts Next Week

  Pitching skills are a must-have for startup founders. A perfected pitch can make or break an entrepreneur’s chance at landing new customers, raising a round of funding or enticing a co-founder to join their team. Current resources to perfect the art of entrepreneurial pitching in the startup community have been limited until now. Presented by Ms. Tech, Pitch Training Camp is starting next week. Much like an accelerator for pitching, the course offers a personalized approach where organizers and coaches focus on learning the individual strengths and weaknesses of each student, working to improve their skills and then provide tangible results. With a maximum class size of twenty, each student will receive plenty of one-on-one time and walk away with refined pitch skills no matter their current level of experience. Hosted at Grind Chicago in the center of the city, the seven-week program meets consecutive Monday’s beginning April 7th with one full-day workshop on Saturday May 10th. Each week, students will focus on specific subjects that collectively unwrap the elements of a successful pitch. The curriculum is based on a simple, hands-on format that gives all students, which PTC calls ‘pitchers’, the ability to craft and deliver pitches for their current business. Covering the core ideas of content, delivery and visuals, the course will offer fine-tuned lectures from expert speakers, dynamic hands-on workshop sessions and a series of challenging assignments along the way. The course concludes with a public demo event PTC calls ‘Opening Day,’ where students will showcase their perfected five-minute pitches to a group of their friends, family and peers. Opening Day is open to the public and will be held at a premier presentation facility with the goal of becoming one of Chicago’s top startup pitch events. PTC’s curriculum and initiatives has the support of top Chicago startup community initiatives including Ms. Tech, Starter League, Startup Institute, Startup Leadership Program, Crafted in Chicago, Inspire Startups and Grindspaces. PTC coach and organizer of Startup Leadership Program Chicago, Brian Bauer, believes strongly in the PTC vision and the outcomes it provides. “Being a master story teller is critical no matter whether you are applying for a job, selling a product or trying to secure investment in your company. A program to help busy entrepreneurs master this critical skill is vital” he said. The course is designed to do just that: help entrepreneurs master the art of storytelling. PTC believes firmly that no entrepreneur should be left behind because their pitching skills are sub-par and that they should all have access to education giving them the skills to excel. In addition to student applicants, PTC is looking for coaches to mentor and help sculpt students throughout the program.