Special thanks to Titan Fast Pitch Diamond Sponsor MUFG Union Bank, N.A. for their tremendous support of the next generation of entrepreneurs and creators!
Please Register for 2022 CSUF Titan Fast Pitch updates below!
Students — Register Here!
Volunteers — Register Here!
? Our competition is NOW LIVE and accepting applications below ?
Submit Your Entry for Titan Fast Pitch Below
CSUF Titan Fast Pitch – The premiere startup pitch event for university, college, high school, and middle school students!
Click the blue box below to submit your Titan Fast Pitch entry by
deadline: 11:59pm on Nov 4, 2022!
Now is the best time to start being the entrepreneur that you were meant to be!
Pitch Your Startup Concept & Win Scholarships!
We believe that there is a successful business concept in the heart of every student and we know that you agree. So, if you are a current middle school, high school, or community college/university student we challenge you to take the first step towards making that belief into a reality by submitting a 90 second pitch to the Titan Fast Pitch competition.
What follows is everything that you need to know about the Titan Fast Pitch and how you can get the opportunity to pitch your business concept to our panel of judges!
Making A Social Impact: What is Social Entrepreneurship?
Making a Social Impact through Social Entrepreneurship is the process by which individuals, organizations, startups, and entrepreneurs develop solutions that directly address social issues (problems or opportunities).
A social entrepreneur explores business opportunities that have a positive impact on their community, in society or the world. Social enterprises can be for profit or non-profit.
This year’s theme is to make a positive impact in our communities through Social Entrepreneurship, we encourage all participants to step out of the box and incorporate this aspect into your business!
Please note this is not a requirement for submissions as all pitches will be considered for the finalist round*
Scholarships
College/University Scholarships
1st Place: $3,000 Cash Scholarship
- One Hour with intellectual property attorney Justin Sanders ($300 value)
- Residency at CSUF Startup Incubator ($5,000 value)
- One Month 24/6 marketing consulting and Five Session “CWM Mentor Secrets to Success” mentee coaching course with College Web Mentor CEO Rudy Chavarria ($4500 value)
- One Hour consultation with entity formation attorney Stephen LaCount ($350 value)
- One Hour session with SEO Consultant Jason Khoo ($750 value)
2nd Place: $2,000 Cash Scholarship
- One Hour with intellectual property attorney Justin Sanders ($300 value)
- Residency at CSUF Startup Incubator ($5,000 value)
- One Month 24/6 marketing consulting and Five Session “CWM Mentor Secrets to Success” mentee coaching course with College Web Mentor CEO Rudy Chavarria ($4500 value)
- One Hour consultation with entity formation attorney Stephen LaCount ($350 value)
- One Hour session with SEO Consultant Jason Khoo ($750 value)
3rd Place: $1,500 Cash Scholarship
- One Hour with intellectual property attorney Justin Sanders ($300 value)
- Residency at CSUF Startup Incubator ($5,000 value)
- One Month 24/6 marketing consulting and Five Session “CWM Mentor Secrets to Success” mentee coaching course with College Web Mentor CEO Rudy Chavarria ($4500 value)
- One Hour consultation with entity formation attorney Stephen LaCount ($350 value)
4th Place: $1,000 Cash Scholarship
- One Hour with intellectual property attorney Justin Sanders ($300 value)
- Residency at CSUF Startup Incubator ($5,000 value)
- One Month 24/6 marketing consulting and Five Session “CWM Mentor Secrets to Success” mentee coaching course with College Web Mentor CEO Rudy Chavarria ($4500 value)
- One Hour consultation with entity formation attorney Stephen LaCount ($350 value)
High School Scholarships
1st Place: $1,000 Cash Scholarship
2nd Place: $750 Cash Scholarship
3rd Place: $500 Cash Scholarship
4th Place: $250 Cash Scholarship
Middle School Scholarships
1st Place: $500 Cash Scholarship
2nd Place: $400 Cash Scholarship
3rd Place: $300 Cash Scholarship
4th Place: $250 Cash Scholarship
Important Dates
11:59pm on Friday, November 04, 2022 – Bullpen Round: 90 Second Video Submissions Due!
- Submit your entry for CSUF Titan Fast Pitch 2022: Making a Social Impact https://forms.office.com/r/QYzMnLFW5V
12pm, Tuesday, November 22, 2022 Finalists will be Notified
- If a finalist cannot attend, alternates will be notified asap.
1:00pm Saturday, December 03, 2022 – Finals Round: In-person Live Pitch
- 12:00pm: Doors Open
- 1:00pm: Competition Begins
- Additional time updates closer to the event!
Where: CSUF Titan Student Union Pavilion
- The Titan Student Union (TSU) Pavilion is easy to find from State College Blvd.
- ( https://asi.fullerton.edu/about#Maps)
Parking: State College Structure
- Parking in the State College Structure (adjacent to TSU) is free on Saturdays.
- (https://parking.fullerton.edu/ParkingLotCounts/mobile.aspx)
Agenda – At the finals we will:
- Finalists will present live to our panel of judges.
- High School and University/College finalists will field questions by the judges.
- We will hear a keynote from former CSUF Titan Fast Pitch Finalist, Bryan Ruef (Director of Technology at 10-8 Systems).
- The winners will be announced!
Keynote Speaker – Bryan Ruef, Founder 10-8 Systems
Bryan Ruef is the Founder and Director of Technology at 10-8 Systems.
As a CSUF computer science student and volunteer with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Bryan realized that current dispatching systems were using outdated technology. He designed and built 10-8 Systems to be more affordable and effective than current products. The software has already been put to the test and used to rescue hundreds of people during Hurricane Dorian. CSUF Startup 10-8 Systems Saving Hundreds of Lives in wake of Hurricane Dorian – CSUF Entrepreneurship
Bryan won 1st place in the 2019 CSUF Titan Fast Pitch competition. CSUF Startup Competition Results – CSUF Entrepreneurship
Resources
Titan Fast Pitch Flyer… https://bit.ly/TitanFastPitchFlyer2022
Titan Fast Pitch Bootcamp Video (College/High School version)…Titan Fast Pitch Boot Camp with Dr Atul Teckchandani – YouTube
Titan Fast Pitch Bootcamp Video (Middle School version)…FastPitchBootCampVideo – Google Drive
Titan Fast Pitch Bootcamp Worksheet…Workshop_FastPitchCompetitionBootcamp_09032021_handout.docx
The 90 Second Business Pitch
Why 90 seconds?
It’s simple, really. 90 seconds is about the amount of time that you have when you first meet someone to get them interested in your concept. Your concept could be for a business or a nonprofit, that doesn’t matter, but what does matter is that your concept is addressing something that can have a positive impact on the world.
What is included in the 90 second business pitch?
Once you start putting together your pitch you will quickly realize that 90 seconds is not a lot of time because you have so much information that you need to communicate. For an effective business pitch, we recommend including three sections: The problem that you are addressing, what your solution is, and what is the overall business opportunity.
The problem that you are addressing
When we review pitches (and we review a lot of them), the first thing we look for from an entrepreneur is that they have identified a real problem that needs to be addressed. Ideally, the entrepreneur who is pitching us will have talked about this issue with many people or, at least, the entrepreneur has experienced the problem personally. Problems can come in all shapes and sizes.
One of the successful pitches we have seen come out of a previous Titan Fast Pitch competition addressed a simple problem: There weren’t any hair accessories for horses. You might be thinking that this isn’t really a problem, horses, after all, don’t really need to have clips adorned with plastic butterflies in their manes. And that is strictly true, however, many horsemen and women like to adorn their horses with pretty hair clips and before this entrepreneur came along there was no way for those riders to properly attire their horses.
Perhaps the best way to identify a problem that needs addressing is to simply notice what bothers you in your day-to-day life.
Your solution for that problem
Once you have identified a problem then you need to come up with a solution and be able to explain it clearly and simply. Your solution should adequately address the problem you have identified and be doable.
The opportunity
Now that you have explained the problem and what your solution is for that problem you need to communicate to your listeners what the overall opportunity is. If you are proposing a business then talk about the number of people you think would buy your product or service. If your concept is for a nonprofit then talk about how many people you can reasonably have a positive impact on.
From there, you should explain why you are the right fit for this opportunity and how you plan on leveraging the resources that you currently have to start this business and grow it.
General tips
In general, the pitches that do better in these competitions are done by people who are confident and passionate about their concepts.
Since the Preliminary Round is a virtual competition, you have the opportunity to record your pitch as many times as you like in order to get the perfect delivery (You will still only submit one video, the best one).
For the Finals Round, practice, practice, practice. The more often you practice your pitch, the more relaxed, natural, and confident it will sound in person.
2020 Titan Fast Pitch Boot Camp Video
For notes from the Titan Fast Pitch Boot Camp, please go here: https://csufentrepreneurship.com/titan-fast-pitch-boot-camp-resources-to-help-you-give-a-winning-business-pitch/
Rules for 90 second pitch
- Since the Preliminary Round is a virtual competition, you can record your pitch as many times as you like in order to get the perfect delivery (You will still only submit one video, the best one).
- Pitches should be in the format of a face-to-face pitch.
- 90 second maximum for pitches
- No PowerPoint slides, poster boards, white boards, CGI, music, screengrabs, etc.
- One continuous take, no editing
- If you are pitching as a team (we recommend 2 max because of the 90 second time limit) then you and your teammates can participate in the video and presentation.
- Handheld and wearable props and prototypes are acceptable
- All participants must be current students and should be able to produce a valid student ID or prove in some other way that they are currently a student (this will be checked for all finalists)
- The competition is open to all current university (including community college and masters/PhD students), high school, and middle school students
Finals Judges
Natalia Razeghi
Senior Credit Executive, Vice President Wealth Markets Risk and CDFI Lending at MUFG Union Bank
Natalia Razeghi is a commercial loan underwriter with over 20 years of lending experience, including co-founding a start-up lending company. She is currently an expert on underwriting law firms, medical groups, and CDFIs for Wealth Markets at MUFG Union Bank. Natalia came to USA as a foreign student at CSUF. Upon completion of her Bachelor degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, she joined Citigroup’s paid internship which lead to a full time career in banking. That internship was sourced via CSUF. Natalia owes much of her success to the foundation and professional contacts that CSUF provided her early on.
Dr. Cathleen Greiner
Regional Director, Business and Entrepreneurship, Orange County, California Community Colleges
Dr. Greiner is a long-time educator in higher education and the community colleges as a teacher, dean, and vice president, with expertise and responsibility in leadership, online learning, equity and inclusion, and networking with employers and community/ educational partners to respond to a disruptive economy and changing learning needs while building enduring bridges between business and education. As a small business owner, she also bridges real work application and educational responsiveness.
In leading the California Community Colleges’ Business & Entrepreneurship Sector in Orange County–which is the largest employment sector in the county–she is focused on student equity, diversity and inclusion, career and workforce preparation, college transfer, and internships and work-based learning. She networks and creates linkages with employers across the region to gain and/or upskill a diverse workforce and collaborates with public and private partners to support workforce readiness and college opportunities. Most recently, she is joining forces with OC industry to emphasize economic reactivation, entrepreneurship, and transitioning and standing up a “new” marketplace and business ecosystem in the region.
As a strategic, long-range planner with an entrepreneurial spirit, she is a sought-after expert on organizational growth, the gig economy, the new world of work, the impact of AI, automation and technology, and on the need to prepare students and individuals for academic and workplace success. She is a faculty member for the Western Association of College and University Business Officers (strategic planning and case studies), as well as at the Online Teaching Conference and DET/CHE.
A. Cathleen Greiner, PhD | LinkedIn
Brandon Ramirez
Director, Corporate Social Responsibility and External Relations, Hyundai Motor America
Brandon Ramirez is the director of Corporate Social Responsibility and External Relations for Hyundai Motor America. In this role, Ramirez is responsible for the development and implementation of CSR programs and initiatives in the areas of sustainability, innovation and community engagement. He is also responsible for promoting Hyundai and Genesis leadership in technology democratization, eco-friendly mobility solutions and customer-centric experiences. Ramirez started in this role in January 2022, and reports to Dana W. White, chief communications officer, Hyundai Motor North America.
Victor Macias
Founder of Aligned Ventures
Serial Entrepreneur. Scaled eCommerce company from Mom’s kitchen to over 7 figures in under 2 years. Landed a deal on ABC’s Shark Tank. Raised over $100K in crowdfunding. Developed the world’s first keto cookie sparking the keto snack food craze. Featured on Forbes, Inc, Business Insider, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, and the Joe Rogan Experience.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/victormacias/
Justin Sanders
Intellectual Property Attorney at Master Key IP
Justin Sanders is an intellectual property attorney and managing partner at Master Key IP. For the past 15+ years, Justin has assisted clients (primarily startups and small businesses) with all aspects of identifying, protecting and monetizing their intellectual property in both the U.S. and abroad, all at reasonable flat fee rates that are tailored to startup budgets. Justin graduated from California State University, Long Beach, earning a B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Human Resources Management. He went on to attend Whittier Law School, as a Fellow in the Center for Intellectual Property Law, where he received his J.D. with magna cum laude honors along with a Certificate in Intellectual Property Law. In addition to servicing clients through Master Key IP, Justin is actively involved with a number of local universities and startup organizations, where he serves as a resource and mentor to resident entrepreneurs, providing guidance on various intellectual property issues.
Uploading 90 Second Business Pitches to YouTube
Why YouTube?
We anticipate a large number of competitors in this competition and in order to create as level a playing field, we decided to standardize the application process. Plus, YouTube is the most popular video platform in the world and we made the determination that this would be the most straightforward way to accept video submissions.
How do I create a YouTube channel to upload my video to?
How do I upload a video on YouTube?
Public versus Unlisted versus Private Videos on YouTube
In order for us to view your video when clicking your link you need to set your video as either Public (which means that your video can be found on YouTube by anyone) or Unlisted (which means that only people with the link can view your video). If you list your video as private we will not be able to view your video and your submission will be rejected.
Under 13 years old? Here are some resources for you to learn how to submit via YouTube
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2802272?hl=en
https://support.google.com/families/answer/7101025
Sponsors
CSUF Titan Fast Pitch Diamond Sponsor
CSUF Titan Fast Pitch Gold Sponsors
Royal Business Bank
Black Family Trust
North Orange County Community College District
CSUF Titan Fast Pitch Silver Sponsors
Hyundai
Vas Arora
Vas has a varied career serving as Engineering Manager for Ametek, Inc for 10 years and in the same position for the Fluid Control Div. of FMC Corp in Brea. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Univ. of Wyoming. Vas has also been small business owner having owned plastics recycling business and a gas station during his career. In addition, he has 30 years’ experience as a real estate investor and operator.
CSUF Titan Fast Pitch In-kind Sponsor
Justin Sanders – Intellectual Property Attorney
CSUF Startup Incubator
Rudy Chavarria, Jr. – College Web Mentor
Stephen LaCount –
Tech Transactions Attorney
Ken Guchereau –
Guchereau/Bahr Family Fund
Jason Khoo
Hosts
Miscellaneous
The finals for this event will be recorded. Film, Pictures, Audio, and All participants, audience members, judges, and hosts may end up in video or still media.
[Note: This page is subject to change without notice. Please check back to make sure that you are getting the most up to date information on the Titan Fast Pitch competition. All rules are subject to change without notification at the discretion of the Titan Fast Pitch hosts.]
CSUF Entrepreneurship
We are dedicated to helping the next generation of entrepreneurs develop the skills that they need to compete locally and globally. The CSUF Entrepreneurship program does many things,