Pitch It & Win It competition on tap

If you've got a winning business idea but not the funding to get it off the ground, a 5-minute business pitch could win you part of a $5,000 prize pot.

Startup Jefferson City is sponsoring a fourth Pitch It & Win It competition at 9 a.m. Oct. 19 at Capital Event Center, 623 Ohio St. The event is modeled after the TV show "Shark Tank," and spectators are welcome to watch.

Mike Honeywell, president of KA-Neckt Marketing, came up with the idea for the local competition with the help of a friend in the business community.

"If you have ever had an inkling of an idea of starting a business, this is the best opportunity you'll get," Honeywell said. "You'll be able to get encouragement from people who have been there and done that."

Registration is free and can be done online at www.startupjeffcity.com.

A panel of five business experts, both business owners and business teachers, will judge participants on five criteria: clarity, creditability, purpose, realism and contagious passion.

After hearing the presentations and questioning the participants, the judges will determine the split of the $5,000 in prize money, said Shaun Sappenfield, the existing business manager for the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce.

The prize money is being provided by Rural Missouri Inc., a Small Business Association loan provider, he said.

StartUp Jefferson City started last year to engage local entrepreneurs and provide the resources needed to help them pursue their goal of opening a business. It determined two priority needs for small businesses: access to professional business resources and start-up capital.

Dyarl Lewis, a contractor, captured top honors in the first Pitch It & Win It with his business idea for a self-contained renewable paint roller idea.

The competition doesn't limit applicants by geography, but is marketed toward Jefferson City-area residents.