CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwired - Oct 23, 2014) - Entrepreneurship and innovation will be celebrated in Bay State style as aspiring business moguls from nine of Massachusetts' top public and private educational institutions gather at District Hall in Boston's Innovation District for the Beantown Throwdown on Tuesday, November 18. The competition was inspired by last year's highly successful Crimson on Cardinal Startup Throwdown , with an expanded format due to high demand by schools with active student entrepreneur programs. The event coincides with Global Entrepreneurship Week .
"Massachusetts boasts one of the strongest, most vibrant higher education communities in the world, and so many of the students are extraordinarily entrepreneurial," said Katja Wald, Executive Director, MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge. "The MITEF Beantown Throwdown is not only a chance for us to showcase these students' ideas, but also to introduce them to the many experienced professionals in our community, and beyond, who generously give their time and talent to coach these young companies towards success."
Hosted by the MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) of Cambridge's Innovation Series Committee , the Beantown Throwdown features student teams from Babson College , Berklee College of Music , Boston College , Boston University , Harvard University , MIT , Northeastern University , UMass Lowell and Wentworth Institute of Technology , who will each pitch their startup ideas to the audience. Morse, Barnes-Brown & Pendleton and CHEN PR are joining MITEF of Cambridge to host the event. Additional sponsors include getfused and Coalition Workspace .
MITEF Cambridge Beantown Throwdown Tuesday, November 18 5:30pm - 9:00pm District Hall, 75 Northern Avenue, Boston Registration and Information
The evening will begin with a fireside chat about startups and entrepreneurship moderated by Boston Globe innovation columnist Scott Kirsner and a panel of local innovation community luminaries, including Katie Rae of TechStars and Project 11 ; Jebbit CEO Tom Coburn ; and ecoVent Systems CEO Dip Patel . Last year's winner, ecoVent recently closed $2.2 million in equity funding and has raised $2.8 million to date.
Prior to the competition, each team will receive a one-on-one pitch coaching session with Linda Plano of Plano & Simple , who has assisted hundreds of innovative companies to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. Following team presentations, winners will be determined by audience vote using play money to "invest" in the most inspiring ideas. More than 150 executives from public and private companies, angel and venture investors, members of the media, top service providers, students and others will be in attendance. In addition to market exposure, winning teams will receive a range prizes to help launch and build their companies.
The Throwdown will unwind with a networking mixer hosted by serial entrepreneur and investor DJ Jay Batson , a favored entertainer in local startup circles.
About The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Offering more than 40 programs annually, The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge strives to achieve the mission of our parent organization -- the MIT Enterprise Forum -- by showcasing emerging technologies and markets, coaching innovators and investors on how to create markets through technology and moderating and facilitating the dialogue on the risks, rewards and societal impacts of innovation.
PRESS CONTACT: Shannon Todesca (for MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge) CHEN PR, Inc. 781-672-3147 Email Contact
