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Thirteen teams comprised of thirty Dal AC students and one high school student pitched their unique business ideas to a packed Riverview Room last Tuesday. The students were competing in Pitch Ag, a business pitching competition. There was standing room only as fellow Dal AC students, faculty, staff, and business mentors from the community took in the competition.

Pitch Ag was hosted by Cultiv8, a collaborative program that is offered to both Dalhousie and Acadia students, that offers students access to business mentors and entrepreneurial resources. Through Cultiv8, students are given the opportunity to learn entrepreneurship through programs, mentoring and interactive programming. It is a student space where ideas are explored, entrepreneurial skills are developed and opportunities are realized. For the second year in a row, their entrepreneurial skills were put to the test through the year-end pitching competition.

“I love this time of year,” shares Jolene MacEachern, Cultiv8 coordinator. “It is such an important part of the entrepreneurial process to put yourself out there and pitch your idea, and these students never disappoint! I am so proud.”

Students were competing for a spot in the top three which would lead to a share of the cash prize and the experience gained from pitching their ideas to an audience. While the competition aims to create excitement around the variety of ideas that can be born of agriculture, it also provides an opportunity for students to perfect their pitches. Students are judged on the quality of their pitch and their business model. Judges look for pitches that demonstrate insight to a problem, a convincing solution, customer feedback, exploration of the business case, achievable next steps, and what they’ve learned throughout the process of developing their idea. Knowledgeable entrepreneurs and business mentors Colin Deacon, Gillian McRae, and Danny Small judged the competition.

Cascara used in Cascara Ventures

A cash prize pot of $10,000 was generously donated by a local business person in the community. Top prize went to Jeremy Stroud and Rebekah Bailey and their business Cascara Ventures. Second prize went to Joecy Peters who was pitching her business idea, Equine Acu-ezze. Finally, third prize was awarded to a team of four- Morgan McNeil, Brandon Simmons, Tyler Jollimore, and Ian Henderson, and their business idea, Plentiful Pomace Co.

Meeting every week with Cultiv8, students worked tirelessly in the weeks leading up to Pitch Ag to perfect their business ideas. Cultiv8 hosted guest speakers and pitch training and encouraged students to get out and validate their ideas with potential customers.

“Cultiv8 offered brainstorming sessions, problem solving methodology, real-world entrepreneurial talks and mentor-based pitch training events to all interested teams since the beginning of September,” says Jeremy Stroud whose team placed first in the competition. “The club has been an incredible resource for my team over the course of the year.”

Although the majority of students participating in Pitch Ag were Dal AC students, one high school student participated in the competition. Joecy Peters, a student at Cobequid Educational Centre (CEC), became interested in Cultiv8 when Cultiv8 attempted to initiate a Cultiv8 Club at CEC. Although work-to-rule restricted the Cultiv8 Club at CEC, Joecy made an effort to attend weekly Cultiv8 meetings on the Agricultural Campus. Her dedication earned her second place in Pitch Ag.

While not all students took home a prize, none walked away empty handed. Students gained valuable pitching experience and feedback from judges. Armed with experience and a better understanding of the art of pitching, students look forward to pitching at the next competition.

See below for a full list of Pitch Ag competitors and descriptions of their business ventures.