Yavapai College Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and Moonshot are excited to announce the 2024 Moonshot Rural Pitch Tour—an entrepreneurship contest similar to ABC’s Shark Tank—is coming back to Yavapai County as part of the 5th annual event series.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur with a moonshot start-up idea or a seasoned founder with a business you’d like to expand, participation in this event hones your business skills and assists in moving your business forward.
This year, Moonshot will be visiting 16 communities across rural Arizona. The Yavapai College SBDC will be working with entrepreneurs and supporting pitch events in Wickenburg (2/23), Seligman (3/27), Quad Cities (3/28), and Verde Valley (5/17).
In addition to competing to win cash prizes and Moonshot scholarships, entrants will also receive start-up and pitch education, coaching, and pitch practice opportunities from the expert team of certified business analysts at the Yavapai College SBDC. No cost, confidential coaching and mentorship is offered for each event and ongoing after the pitch tour is over.
Marie Platowski-Beals, Certified Business Analyst with the SBDC, has coached hundreds of Yavapai business owners including the 2022 state-wide Moonshot pitch winner. “This is a great opportunity for any business owner to get started or to expand their business into new markets,” Platowski-Beals stated. “Our team is there for each participant during the tour, and long after it is over.”
The competition continues to empower business owners and provides opportunities to learn new skills. Participants prepare, practice, and perfect a 5-minute pitch presentation for a panel of judges who select the finalists. Winners at each local event will go on to compete in the state-wide competition for a $10,000 cash prize. The final event will be held in Cottonwood in August of 2024.
Online registration to participate for the Moonshot Rural Pitch Tour is available at: www.moonshotaz.com/moonshotpitchtour
Local cash prize packages for the top three winners in each community are made possible through area sponsors including Arizona Capitol Source, National Bank of Arizona, and OneAz Credit Union, as well as several local businesses, and community partners.
Title Sponsors: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Arizona Commerce Authority, and APS
About Yavapai College SBDC: YCSBDC offers no cost, one on one, confidential consulting and educational training to business owners and entrepreneurs throughout Yavapai County. With expertise to help you grow and expand your business, the SBDC team of experts provides access to a wide variety of tools and resources to strengthen your business.
About Yavapai College: Yavapai College offers life-changing personalized education, career training, lifelong learning and workforce development opportunities online and in person at six locations across beautiful Yavapai County, AZ. www.yc.edu/sbdc
About Moonshot: Moonshot is an entrepreneur development program that promotes the creation and sustainable growth of local business. It offers multi-track programs to help businesses become ready for the market as well as entrepreneurship mentoring, speaker series and community events. www.moonshotaz.com
