Pitch contest planned at new UA stadium deck

Startup Junkie will host an IdeaFame pitch contest Sept. 15 in Fayetteville  in the new north end zone addition of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Participants get a ticket to that day’s 3 p.m. football game against North Texas along with a chance to win two $1,000 cash prizes. The contest begins at 11 a.m., and the cost to enter is $25.

“The new deck offers one of the most unique views of the stadium and really of the city of Fayetteville,” University of Arkansas Associate Athletic Director Aaron Parris said of the space. It holds about 1,500 guests and will be used for special game events, such as hosting sponsors or honoring the military, and eventually for non-game events.

Startup Junkie has been offering pitch contests for seven years, but this is its first partnership with the UA athletic department.

Contestants will pitch ideas for a business, product, service or solution. The rules are: 60 seconds, no notes, no slides. Only one contestant can pitch at a time.

Entrepreneurship has surged in Northwest Arkansas during the past 10 years, and Startup Junkie is excited to bring it to the grand stage of Razorback football, said Jeff Amerine, founding principal at Startup Junkie.

Two $1,000 cash prizes will be awarded, one by audience vote and the second the choice of four judges who will be from the entrepreneurship community.

Past pitches have included solutions to operational problems for both nonprofits and for-profit businesses, in addition to ideas for new businesses — both products and services.