Execs sought to pitch ideas for $25K prize

Time is running out for what is probably best described as a local version of the TV reality competition show “Shark Tank.”

The first 200 area businesses that apply before April 1 will have a chance to compete for a $25,000 cash prize at The Big Pitch next month in Tampa's Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

A panel of local “celebrity” judges will consider business pitches. They will judge on a number of criteria, including what problem a business is looking to solve, how that business is solving it, and what that company's reputation is in the marketplace.

It's practically a competition version of the elevator pitch, the minute or two a business owner might have to share a new product with an investor.

The competition was created by Topher Morrison, managing director of Key Person of Influence - USA, which is described as a growth accelerator firm that has worked with more than 1,000 companies to help them “dominate market share.”

The field will be cut down to 10 businesses that will appear in an April 30 final competition, with each executive getting five minutes to make his pitch.

To learn more, visit TheBigPitch.com.