REGIONAL ROCKET PITCH TOOL KIT

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REGIONAL ROCKET PITCH TOOL KIT Recognizing that our global alumni clubs might be interested in hosting a Rocket Pitch as part of your annual event offerings, the Alumni and Friends Network in partnership with the Blank Center have created a Regional Rocket Pitch Tool Kit. This tool kit is designed to provide Regional Club leaders with guidelines and resources to create a Rocket Pitch in your ‘backyard.’ Getting Started After reviewing this information packet and speaking with your Alumni and Friends Network (AFN) staff Club liaison about your interest to host a Rocket Pitch event, we recommend the following steps: •

Step 1: Recruit volunteers to assist with the various aspects of organizing and hosting Rocket Pitch in your region. Refer to the Key Volunteer Roles and Responsibilities section below for more details.

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Step 2: Decide on a format for your Rocket Pitch program. Two recommended formats are as follows: o Option A: Rocket Pitch Presentations Only Audience members, including investors and service providers, ask questions of the presenters one-onone during the Networking Reception that follows the presentations. o

Option B: Rocket Pitch Presentations & Panel of Judges/Q & A A panel of judges (typically 3 individuals) offer feedback to each presenter by posing some targeted questions at the conclusion of each presentation. Feedback/questions are limited to 5 minutes each.

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Step 3: Determine a date for your Rocket Pitch and build a calendar of key dates, tasks, and assignments. Refer to the Event Timeline section below for more details.

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Step 4: Work collaboratively with your AFN staff Club liaison and Events Management Office (EMO) staff contact to secure a venue for your event. Note: EMO staff will negotiate the venue contract and are the signature authority for all venues with financial contractual agreements.

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Step 5: Customize the Rocket Pitch documents referenced in this Tool Kit to include your city’ s name and event date (e.g. Rocket Pitch Los Angeles October 8, 2015) so you can begin to promote the event to alumni in your region as early as 6 – 8 weeks prior to the event date. Sample email invitation templates, the Presenter Application, and Presenter FAQ documents are included in the Appendix of this Tool Kit.

Key Volunteer Roles and Responsibilities •

Chair: o Oversee the implementation of the event. o Take the lead in compiling a list of investors and service providers in the area to invite to Rocket Pitch. Serve as the primary point of contact for investors and service providers and judges (if applicable). o Recruit 3 individuals (e.g. investors, service providers) to serve as judges (if applicable) o Serve as a member of the Selection Committee to select which applicants will facilitate presentations during Rocket Pitch. o Lead social media campaign to promote Rocket Pitch to alumni in your region. 2

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Serve as or recruit MC for event, e.g. opening remarks, evening schedule, ‘housekeeping’, and facilitating Q & A.

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Clerk: o Serve as the primary point of contact with applicants/presenters. o Collect all Power Point slide submissions and signed audio video release forms. o Chair the Selection Committee to select which applicants will facilitate presentations during Rocket Pitch. o Notify applicants of their status. o Set the schedule of pitches. o Consolidate the PP slides into a master file based on pitch order. o Send email communication to all presenters with detailed information about event day logistics.

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Event Coordinator: o Provide recommendations for possible venues to host event. Liaise with AFN staff Club liaison and assigned EMO staff to make venue arrangements. Your assistance is most needed with recommending potential venues for the event. In recommending venues, please consider the following criteria: room layout and size (e.g. a large, open space is ideal for a Rocket Pitch event), location, cost, and availability of audio/visual equipment (e.g. projector, LCD screen). Reminder: EMO staff the signature authority for all venues with financial contractual agreements. o Manage registration (e.g. nametag distribution, walk-ins, etc.) on event day. o Forward a list of all attendees (pre-registered and walk-ins) to AFN staff Club liaison post event. o Serve as a member of the Selection Committee to select which applicants will facilitate presentations during Rocket Pitch.

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Timekeeper: o Keep record of time on event day to ensure that pitches are no longer than 3 minutes in duration and that there is no more than a 1.5 minute ‘break’ in between each pitch to prep the subsequent Power Point slide deck. If a ‘Panel of Judges’ is incorporated into the program format, ensure that Q & A does not exceed 5 minutes for each presenter. o Serve as a member of the Selection Committee to select which applicants will facilitate presentations during Rocket Pitch.

Event Timeline •

At least 12 weeks out from when you want to host the event: o Decide you want to host a Regional Rocket Pitch. o Recruit volunteers from the Club leadership team to assume various roles described in this tool kit. o Begin to research venue options.

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8 or more weeks out from event: o Select an event date. o Secure a venue (contract signed). o Compile list of investors and service providers (e.g. law firms that specialize in legal advice for small businesses) in the area to invite to the event as attendees and/or sponsors. o Recruit 3 individuals (e.g. investors, service providers) to serve as judges (if applicable).

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6 – 8 weeks prior to event: o Send a save-the-date message to alumni in your region about Rocket Pitch and inviting alumni to present at Rocket Pitch in ‘their backyard’ (Refer to Save the Date event template in the Appendix for sample text). o Send email to investor/service provider list with event details and registration info.

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4 weeks out from event: o Email event invite to alumni in your region (Refer to Email Invite in the Appendix for suggested text). o Promote Rocket Pitch via social media channels calling attention to both event and opportunity to present, noting application deadline. Note: On Twitter, use #BabsonRP. o Submission of applications and signed audio video release forms due to Clerk

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3 weeks out from event: o Applicants are notified about their status.

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Friday before event: o Power Point slides due to Clerk.

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3 – 4 days prior to event: o Create schedule of pitches (Clerk). o Consolidate PP slides into a single slide deck based on pitch order (Clerk). o Send email to presenters with pitch order and info re: what to expect at Rocket Pitch (Clerk).

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Event day! o Volunteers should arrive at least 1 hour prior to the start of the event. o Set up registration table to greet attendees (e.g. registration list, nametags, etc.). o Keep records of actual attendees (both pre-registered guests and walk-in guests). o Take photos. o Tweet about the event (use #BabsonRP).

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Post event (not more than 2 – 3 days post event) o Submit names of attendees to AFN staff Club liaison. o Share feedback with AFN staff Club liaison regarding the event (e.g. what worked well, what didn’t). o Send thank you email/personal notes to presenters. o Post messages highlighting event on Club Facebook/LinkedIn pages.

Marketing of Your Event Babson will provide the following support to help you market your event: • Send a save the date email to alumni in your region • Send an email invite to alumni in your region • Include your Regional Rocket Pitch in the Events enewsletter • Display your event and its registration page on the Alumni Events page (www.babson.edu/alumni/events) • Promote your event on appropriate Babson alumni social media accounts • Post photos of event to the Babson Flickr Collection (if you provide photos post event to your AFN staff Club liaison) In addition, you are strongly encouraged to market the event through the following channels: • Your personal network • Your Club’s Facebook page or LinkedIn Group • Your Twitter account using the hashtag #BabsonRP Event Agenda The specific agenda will depend upon the number of pitches and whether or not you incorporate a panel of judges into your program format. To host a Regional Rocket Pitch event, it is recommended that you have a minimum of 10 pitch presentations and a maximum of 20.

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Below are two sample event agendas: Sample 1: Rocket Pitch Presentations Only 6:30 pm – 7:00 pm Registration 7:00 pm – 7:15 pm Opening Remarks 7:15 pm – 8:30 pm Rocket Pitch Presentations 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm Networking Reception and Q & A Sample 2: Rocket Pitch Presentations, Panel of Judges/Q & A 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm Registration 6:30 pm – 6:45 pm Opening Remarks 6:45 pm – 8:45 pm Rocket Pitch Presentations, Panel of Judges/Q & A 8:45 pm – 9:30 pm Networking Reception and Q & A Event Costs and Budget Suggestions for how to manage the costs of a Regional Rocket Pitch event are similar to how you manage your Regional Club events: •

Registration fee: A fee is charged to each registrant to help off-set the costs of the event. You can consider a tiered fee structure, e.g. Pre-registered Alumni, Parents, & Friends = $25, Pre-registered Babson students = $10, Walk-in Registrants = $35.

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Sponsorship: You might find business or alumni that are willing to cover all or part of the event expenses. If this is the case, please discuss how best to manage the ‘ask’ and follow up process with your AFN staff Club liaison.

You may consider waiving the registration fee for the following individuals: • • • •

Presenters Investors Service Providers Judges (if applicable)

For anyone for whom you’d like to waive the registration fee, be certain to forward these names to the Clerk who will compile a list and then forward these names to their AFN staff Club liaison who will work with the EMO staff to register presenters for the event. Selection Committee & Criteria for Selecting Presenters The Selection Committee will select which applicants will facilitate presentations during your Regional Rocket Pitch. The Committee is comprised of the Rocket Pitch [event] Chair, Clerk (who serves as the chair of the Committee), the Event Coordinator, and the Timekeeper. The recommended criteria for selecting presenters are as follows: • •

Attention to detail in the application Clarity with which the business venture –its value proposition, the market size, and the call to action are defined in the application.

Presenter Guidelines All presenters for Regional Rocket Pitch must meet the following criteria in order to participate: •

Be a Babson alumnus/a. Or a Babson student in good standing with the College.

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Individual alumni/students or groups (alumni or a mix of alumni and students) are eligible to submit their application to Rocket Pitch. The lead entrepreneur of any group must be a Babson alumnus/a or student, although team members may be graduates of other institutions.

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Applicants must be available to present their Rocket Pitch on the date you’ve selected for your Regional Rocket Pitch, if accepted. Presentations are a maximum of 3 minutes.

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Rocket Pitch applicants must complete the following 4 weeks prior to your event: o

Rocket Pitch applications must be submitted to the Clerk. A confirmation email from the Clerk must be received in order for the application to be considered for your Regional Rocket Pitch.

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A signed Audiotape, Videotape, Web and Photograph Release Form must be submitted to the Clerk by

the deadline date. •

All participants that are selected to participate in your Regional Rocket Pitch must submit their Power Point presentations to the Clerk on the Friday before your event date. Power Point presentations are 3 slides maximum (including title slide). o Rocket Pitch Sample Slides Version 1 o Rocket Pitch Sample Slides Version 2

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All applicant(s) must agree that the materials they are submitting are their original work. The applicant(s) will retain all rights to the materials regarding their use at all times prior to and following the event.

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Updated information on the Rocket Pitch application will not be accepted.

Presenter Resources Several resources are available to help applicants prepare for their Rocket Pitch: • • •

Online Presentation that Describes and Gives Examples of Babson Rocket Pitches Online Recordings from Past Rocket Pitch Events Do’s and Don’ts for Pitches (Handout prepared by Rocket Pitch Babson Campus Sponsor Pepper Hamilton LLP)

***Regional Rocket Pitch participants who apply to and are selected as finalists for the B.E.T.A. (Babson Entrepreneur Thought & Action)® Alumni Challenge will receive some financial support from the Alumni and Friends Network to help offset the costs of traveling to campus to participate in the competition. ***

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Appendix

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EMAIL INVITATIONS (TEMPLATES) NOTE: Similar to email invites for your Club’s other events, EMO will send the Save the Date and email invites. The samples below are informational only. Save the Date Template Rocket Pitch in ‘Our Backyard’ The Babson Alumni Club of ___(your region)____ invites you to take part in one of Babson’s most exciting traditions! Join us for the inaugural __(your region)__ Rocket Pitch. Date Time Location Rocket Pitch’s unique, fast-paced format –pitches happen in rapid succession, gives entrepreneurs 3 minutes and 3 Power Point slides to share their business ideas in a clear, concise manner to potential investors or other interested parties. The event always generates a lot of excitement –be sure to join us for what is sure to be an electrifying experience! Learn more about participating as a presenter >>. (Highlighted text will hyperlink to web page) Application deadline is __(add date here)___. Invitation, with details, to follow. Email Invite Template The Babson Alumni Club of _____________ and the Alumni and Friends Network invite alumni, friends, and family to the inaugural __(your region here)_____ Rocket Pitch Date Time Location Rocket Pitch’s unique, fast-paced format –pitches happen in rapid succession, gives entrepreneurs 3 minutes and 3 Power Point slides to share their business ideas in a clear, concise manner to potential investors or other interested parties. The event always generates a lot of excitement –be sure to join us for what is sure to be an electrifying experience! Join us as a presenter or audience member! Learn more about participating as a presenter >>. (Highlighted text will hyperlink to web page) Application deadline is __(add date here)___. Event Timeline 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm 6:30 pm – 6:45 pm 6:45 pm – 8:45 pm 8:45 pm – 9:30 pm

Registration, Hors d’oeuvres, and Refreshments Opening Remarks Rocket Pitch Presentations, Panel of Judges, and Q & A Networking Reception

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ROCKET PITCH FAQS FOR PRESENTERS Why should I present my opportunity at Rocket Pitch? Rocket Pitch provides you the opportunity to present your venture idea(s) to an audience of investors, service providers, entrepreneurs, faculty, students, and fellow alumni. You can use this opportunity to practice your pitch, receive feedback, and network with a variety of people who could help your venture. What if I have more than one opportunity that I am pursuing? Can I pitch more than one? Yes, you can apply to present more than one venture at Rocket Pitch. One application form is required per venture. I have just an idea. Can I present at Rocket Pitch? Yes, a venture at any stage (including ideas) can present at Rocket Pitch. Applicants must be able to answer thoroughly questions on the application form. I want to pitch as a solo entrepreneur. Is that okay? Yes, solo entrepreneurs (and teams) are welcome to apply to present at a regional Rocket Pitch. What do I need to do if I want to present at a regional Rocket Pitch? You must submit a Rocket Pitch application and audio video release form by the deadline date. Deadline dates varies by region. In general, application deadlines are 4 weeks prior to the event date. You will be notified about your application status within 1 week of the application deadline date. Further details on what to expect on the day will be sent to the primary contact closer to the event date. Why do I have to sign an Audiotape, Videotape, web and Photograph Release Form? We ask all presenters to fill out the release form as the event may be recorded and/or photographed. The signed release form should be returned along with your application to the designated contact. What are the requirements for the actual pitch? Presentations are a maximum of three minutes. The pitch must include a call to action. Depending on the stage of the venture, a call to action can include looking for advice, a co- founder, a team member, advisors, funding, etc. What are the requirements for the slide deck? Slide decks are a maximum of three slides, including title slide. • Rocket Pitch Sample Slides Version 1 • Rocket Pitch Sample Slides Version 2 Can we add videos to the slide deck? Embedded videos are not encouraged for the slide deck as you will only have three minutes to present. What can I do to practice my pitch? Several resources are available to help applicants prepare for their Rocket Pitch: • • •

Online Presentation that Describes and Gives Examples of Babson Rocket Pitches Online Recordings from Past Rocket Pitch Events Do’s and Don’ts for Pitches (Handout prepared by Rocket Pitch Babson Campus Sponsor Pepper Hamilton LLP) 9

What happens at Rocket Pitch? Once you are selected to present at a regional Rocket Pitch, each presenter will be assigned a time for his or her pitch. The schedule of pitches will be sent to presenters before the event date. On the event day, there will be a moderator who will tell you when your three minutes is up, you cannot go overtime. Audience members (including other presenters) will be in the room during your presentation. There is a 1.5-minute break between presentations. Further instructions on what to expect on the day will be sent to the primary contact prior to the event. Is there a dress code for Rocket Pitch? We recommend presenters to dress appropriately, but choose attire catered towards your pitch. If for example, you have a t-shirt company, wearing your actual product will enhance your credibility. Are there “winners” for Rocket Pitch? Is there a prize? No, Rocket Pitch is not a competition. The event is an opportunity to network with a variety of people that could potentially help your venture. You can also use this occasion to practice your pitch and receive feedback. More questions? Please contact ________________(add Clerk’s name & contact info here)__________________

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REGIONAL ROCKET PITCH APPLICATION Full Name:

________________________________________________________________________________

Affiliation:

__________________________________

Year of Graduation: ________________________

Email: ________________________________________

Phone Number: ____________________________

Team Member(s) & Year of Graduation (if Babson alumnus/a): _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Company Name: Web site:

_____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Twitter Handle (if applicable): Industry:

________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Brief Overview of Opportunity: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Brief Description of Business Venture: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is your value proposition? _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11

What is the market size? How did you arrive at it? _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Who are your key competitors? What is your competitive advantage? _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ What have you done so far? (e.g. actions taken, milestones achieved) _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is your call to action (e.g. looking for funding, a team member, a co-founder, feedback, etc.)? _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ I agree that I have read the presenter guidelines for Regional Rocket Pitch. I agree that the materials I am submitting are my original work. Signature:

_____________________________________________________________________________

Printed Name:

________________________________________________________________________

Date: ___________________________________________________________________________________

Submit Your Completed Application to __________(add Clerk’s name & contact info here)___________ 12