Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre

The Arena Pitch Competition

Pitch head-to-head to win $10,000

The Arena Pitch Competition

About The Arena Pitch Competition

Welcome to The Arena, a nationally acclaimed pitch competition! This isn’t just any competition—it’s a high-energy, adrenaline-pumping showdown where 64 student entrepreneurs across Canada go head-to-head to showcase their brilliance for the title of the nation’s top innovator. It’s your chance to shine as you battle it out for glory, with each round bringing you one step closer to victory with a grand prize of $10,000!

Get ready to sharpen those skills with our exclusive development sessions, gearing you up for an epic month of intense, exhilarating competition. And the best part? You can catch every electrifying moment live on our social media platforms. Ready to bring your A-game and claim your spot as the ultimate champion? 

Arena Pitch Competition

Schedule

Round 1

Name Name

Verses

Name Name

Highlights in Numbers

320+

Student Ideas

$71,000

CAD in prizes provided

85,000+

Views

What's in it for you?

Watch this 101 video

Arena Pitch Competition
The Arena Pitch Competition

Prizes

After being selected, students will be provided with the date and time of pitch, a pre-existing pitch rubric, and list of questions that will be randomly posed at presentation time. Development sessions will be provided for participants to prepare them for their month-long battle to victory.

The prize money will be invested towards the best student entrepreneur’s idea or business with total cash prizes of $17,000 provided by Metronomics. 

Competition Criteria

  • Must be a student currently studying at or recently graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution (Undergraduate, Graduate, PhD students and Alumni (within one year of graduation) 
  • Must be the owner or part owner of the business idea 
  • Has not generated more than $25,000 in annual revenue in the business 
  • Has not received more than $15,000 through external support or investment (though investors or other competitions) 

Our Prize Sponsor

Metronomics logo
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SFU Chang Logo
The Arena

For Students

Stay tuned, because all the details will be available from the get-go, giving you plenty of time to rally your friends, family, and fans to cheer you on for every pitch. And don’t forget—everyone in the community can catch all the excitement on our Facebook page and LinkedIn page. 

Testimonials from winners

Testimonials from participants

“The Arena has given me a great opportunity to showcase my venture on a national level. I really appreciated it being livestreamed and recorded on Facebook because I got me exposed to other organizations interested in the product as well. I also got to meet amazing people through this competition, so I'm VERY appreciative of the opportunity that the Arena has given me.”
Heba Iftikhar, Trigger Tracker
2024 Participant
“The Arena has been instrumental in boosting my confidence in the vision and direction of my startup. The challenge of presenting my business concisely pushed me to gain a deeper understanding of its core values and purpose, helping me solidify my mission and further clarify my goals.”
Connor Kucharic, NurseRecruit
2024 Participant
“The Arena was a great experience which helped me develop my pitching and presentation skills. I learned so much and made some incredible connections.”
Morgan MacKinnon, AthleteAid
2024 Participant
“It was a great platform for me to test and advance my pitching skills. It facilitated access to connects in the entrepreneurial space and allowed me to find other opportunities to develop my start-up and enhanced my reach.”
Kevin Abraham, Move-In
2024 Participant
“The support system is very strong, and the people really want to help you and see you succeed.”
Storme McNeil, Smile Vodka Water
2024 Participant
“It helped me hone my punching skills and understand how to be successful in presenting.”
Connor Kucharic, NurseRecruit
2024 Participant

Schedule

Round One

March 3-12

Round Two

March 17-20

Round Three

March 24-25

Round Four

March 26

Semi Finals

March 31

Finals

April 1

Resources

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