Alabama State University student Colby Smith hopes to get his innovative concept off the ground by winning a “Shark-Tank”- style competition sponsored by IgniteMGM. The competition is set for this Saturday (Jan. 28), from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Sanctuary in Montgomery.
The communications major is one of nine finalists who will vie for a share of $12,000.
IgniteMGM is a community-pitch competition open to anyone who has an idea that will improve Montgomery. Competitors submit their proposals online to compete for their share of the grant monies.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be chosen as a finalist,” Smith said. “I was informed of the competition only two days before the submission date, so to be able to showcase my creativity on this platform is a privilege.”
Smith’s innovative idea is to create a social media community to connect the various neighborhoods throughout Montgomery by rallying around a single idea, which is "Montgomery is awesome."
Smith hopes that his inventive concept will see him awarded a prize of $2,000 for the best idea in the social/digital media category. The category has two requirements: identify a problem or an opportunity the entrants want to address in downtown Montgomery, and to pitch a solution that uses digital media to solve it.
The next two categories, food truck concept and community art, will receive $5,000 each for the top idea.
The three finalists from each of the categories from the online entries must first pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. There are three teams of judges consisting of experts in each field.
Dr. L. Simone Byrd, associate professor of public relations at ASU, is one of the backers and organizers of the event.
“Anchoring and supporting this creativity to thrive will be vital to the future of Montgomery," Byrd said.
The primary sponsors of the event are the Downtown Business Association, Gumption Fund and Scott Bell of Bell Media.
For more information about the pitch competition, visit ignitemgm.com
News media contact: Kenneth Mullinax, 334-229-4104
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Friday, January 27th 2017 at 10:39AM
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