The University of Oviedo participates in the 2nd National Contests of Elevator Pitch for Entrepreneurs, which will celebrate its final phase on May 30 in Oviedo. The Rector, Vicente Gotor, and the mayor of Oviedo, Agustín Iglesias Caunedo, have presented this initiative, sponsored by ThyseenKrupp and organized by the Association of Greenhouses and Incubators of Enterprises.

The Rector and the Mayor highlighted the importance of promoting entrepreneurial culture among young people and encouraged people interested in setting in motion their business to participate in the contest. The Asturian academic institution will hold formative sessions for the participants at the Campuses of El Cristo, El Milán and Llamaquique, on March 27, and on the Campus of Gijón, on April 3. Both the semi-final and the final phases will take place at the Talud de la Ería on May 30.

As in the previous edition, in which more than 500 people participated, a panel of experts in performance and investors will select the 80 best proposals to enter the semifinals that will take place with 40 participants in Madrid and 40 in Oviedo. The contest will take place in several symbolic places, such as the Torre de Cristal (in collaboration with Mutua Madrileña), the Talud de la Ería (Town Council of Oviedo/Oviedo Emprende), different campuses of the University of OViedo and the Rey Juan Carlos University, and the Enterprise Greenhouse of Móstoles (Town Council of Móstoles).

The objectives of the contest are clear: to educate entrepreneurs in the use of "elevator discourse", a powerful communication tool born in the MIT of Boston to improve the efficiency of the search for funding and to link the participants with private investors, the so-called "Business Angels", who will decide if the best ideas may become a reality.

The experts in entrepreneuring of AVIE and the Rey Juan Carlos University, alongside noteworthy entrepreneurs and "Business Angels", will elect three winners, who, apart from having the opportunity to present their ideas to potential investors, will compete for a first prize of €2,000 and two accesits of €1,000 each.

To compete, participants may register at www.myelevatorpitch.es and send their Elevator Pitch in a video of up to 1 minute. After registering, they will have immediate access to the on-line or in-person formative tools, which will teach them how to build an excellent Elevator Pitch and improve their chances of finding the desired funding for their project. ThyssenKrupp and AVIE hope that they can make young entrepreneurs participate again and find help through the formation and the contact with private investors, and make them take a step forward that allows them to achieve a brilliant future as entrepreneurs and job creators.