BRATTLEBORO — Strolling of the Heifers and Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation are accepting applications from entrepreneurs for the 2018 FreshTracks Road Pitch, which will take place at the River Garden on Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 3 p.m.
According to a news release, the Road Pitch, a gang of motorcycling business investors and advisors, is stopping in Brattleboro to hear funding pitches from local businesses that are ready to scale up.
Brattleboro-area entrepreneurs interested in pitching to the motorcyclists should apply at www.strollingoftheheifers.com/roadpitch.
This is the fifth annual Road Pitch Competition. From Monday, July 30, through Thursday, Aug. 2, more than 40 motorcycle riders will hit the roads of Vermont and stop in eight towns to listen to at least 50 entrepreneurial pitches. Their goal is to find exciting opportunities for investment.
The Brattleboro stop will be at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden at 157 Main St., organized by Strolling of the Heifers and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation. Additional stops are scheduled for Essex Junction, Hyde Park, Lowell, Bennington, Rutland, St. Johnsbury, and Barre.
At each stop, the riders will award a $500 Riders' Choice Prize plus a Vermont Teddy Bear “biker bear” to one pitcher in each of the 8 communities.
More importantly, for the participating entrepreneurs, the Road Pitch is an opportunity to tighten up their business model and scale-up plan, get coaching on honing their business pitch presentation, and develop connections to a network of funders and advisors.
In addition, the local winners will have a chance to compete at a statewide final event in October for over $4,000 in cash prizes.
Five local entrepreneurs will be selected to compete in the pitch competition. Before the event, finalists will have had several coaching sessions, including “dry runs,” so that they will have the best possible pitch ready for the motorcyclists.
Each pitch is strictly limited to seven minutes, followed by an eight-minute question and answer period.
“The ride promotes Vermont as a terrific place to do business and as a perfect motorcycling destination with lots of scenic twisting roads, picturesque small towns, and plenty of locally sourced food and beverage,” said Cairn Cross, co-founder of FreshTracks Capital.
Cross founded the Road Pitch in 2014. This is the fourth year the tour will be stopping in Brattleboro.
“I gathered together close to 30 other founding riders that year, and we proved the Road Pitch concept by riding 500 miles through Vermont, stopping in various towns and listening to more than 30 pitches.”