Fall 2021 - Episode 3 - Elevator Pitches

Eagle Works manager Andrea Kruszka speaks with Brandon Pierce to learn about his experience in the competition, advice for future contestants, and what's next for his business, Future Innovators. Congratulations and wings up, Brandon, for your big win!

On today's episode, you'll learn all about how the competition is judged. We'll review each section of the official judging rubric, then hear tips and tricks from an Eagle Works competition judge, Leanna Garrick.

On this episode, learn about upcoming workshops, what to expect on competition day, the rules, what you need to work on right now, and more.

Welcome back and listen to this short trailer to get you pumped up for our weekly installments of the Eagle Works podcast. Be sure to tune in every week for tips and tricks from former contestants, judges, successful local entrepreneurs, and other experts in the field - all with the goal to help you win the competition. Also, we're looking for a student with strong writing skills who can help develop scripts for the podcast. We will start you at $12/hr or more depending on experience. Listen to this episode for more details!

On this episode, we'll cover important things to keep in mind as we approach the Spring semester. You'll also hear from Elijah Brooks, a junior in civil engineering, who won the Eagle Works Idea Challenge Rural Reimagined Award and Kosta Yepifantsev, owner of Home Caregivers in Cookeville, TN. Join us Wed. Jan. 26th at 5 p.m. in the library maker space for the Eagle Works kickoff event, and the Find Your Team networking event on Wed. Feb. 2. 

You could win $1,000 for your elevator pitch in the Eagle Works Idea Challenge on November 10th. An elevator pitch is a short description of an idea, product, or company that explains the concept in a way such that any listener can understand it in a short period of time. On this episode, you'll hear from special guest Bailee Kauffman who won the Idea Challenge last year; and, learn how to develop a compelling elevator pitch. 

The Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a one-page document that helps you to organize your idea on paper. On today's episode, learn more about the importance of the BMC from Jeff Brown, president of The Biz Foundry, Cookeville's entrepreneurship center. Be sure to join us on Wednesday, October 20th at 5 p.m. in the Maker Space for the BMC workshop!

Listen to the Fall 2021 Kick-Off episode to learn more about how to compete in the Eagle Works competition. Eagle Works is a Shark Tank-style student innovation and entrepreneurship competition where students develop an idea that solves a problem and pitch their solution for a chance to win thousands in awards. This podcast is designed to prepare students for the competition. Listen to each episode this Fall and Spring for helpful tips, upcoming events, and guests. Visit www.tntech.edu/eagleworks for full competition details.

On this episode, we'll recap each of the teams and the awards won. You'll also hear from the first-place winning team, Ratchet Rats.

A former contestant and a former judge answer questions about their experiences in the competition. Special thanks to David Darnell and Blake Daniels! Directed, produced, and filmed by David Gorchoff. Edited by David Gorchoff, Michael Aikens, and T. McLauchlin.