Start-up competition backed by state kicks off in Memphis

Memphis will be the kick-off site for the Delta Challenge Pitch Competition which aims to redirect venture capital from the East and West coast into the hands of 36 regional entrepreneurs and organizations. 

 

The series of six pitch competitions are hosted by the Delta Entrepreneurship Network, a sub-group of federal-state partnership Delta Regional Authority. The Delta Challenge will begin on September 16 at Memphis' Start Co. and it will travel across the Delta region seeking up to 20 entrepreneurs and 15 entrepreneurship organizations for the inaugural DEN fellowship. 

 

Fellows will receive technical assistance and training to enhance entrepreneurship opportunities in the Delta region. They will also gain insight and mentorship from industry experts at a special segment of the 2016 New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, a start-up festival produced by The Idea Village. 

 

“Research indicates that 75 percent of all venture capital is being invested in just three states: California, New York, and Massachusetts,” said Tim Williamson, Co-founder and CEO of The Idea Village. “By partnering with the DRA, we are leveraging our collective efforts to showcase the South as a hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and new thinking."

 

The competition will seek two kinds of entrepreneurs: those that are in their idea or pre-revenue phase and those that are in the post-revenue phase of highly scalable, investable ventures. 

 

In addition to Memphis, pitch contests will be held in Cleveland, Miss., Sept. 22 at Delta State University; Murray, Ky., Oct. 6 at Murray State University; Selma, Ala., Oct. 8 at Arsenal Place Accelerator; Little Rock, Ark. Nov. 5 at the AR Venture Center; and Lafayette, La., Nov. 14 at Innov8 Acadiana.

 

Those interested in competing can register here by submitting a business summary at least a week before the competition.