Entrepreneurs And Innovators Invited To Compete In City Of Austin’s [Re]Verse Pitch Competition

AUSTIN, TEXAS – Austin’s sixth annual [Re]Verse Pitch Competition, a program aimed at reducing waste in Austin through innovation and design, kicks off Tuesday, Feb. 2 at the online Opening Pitch Event.

During this event, five local businesses and non-profits will ‘pitch’ their businesses’ surplus and byproduct materials in the hopes of finding recycling or reuse solutions for them within our local economy.
 
Competitors will select a material and over the course of several weeks, create a new product or service based on that material.

Competition organizers will host online workshops and provide mentors throughout the competition. In April, up to four competitors (or teams of competitors) will be selected to become [Re]Verse Pitch Innovation Fellows.

The Innovation Fellows will receive cash and in-kind prizes valued up to $8,500 each, participate in a four-month accelerator program, and more.
 
By connecting local businesses with entrepreneurs and innovators, [Re]Verse Pitch helps Austin’s business community reduce waste and keep valuable resources out of the landfill. The materials for this year’s competition include:

• Decorator fabric samples and architectural samples supplied by Austin Creative Reuse
• Large, woven plastic bags supplied by Austin Eastciders
• Used markers, pens and pencils supplied by Austin Community College
• Phone cases supplied by Smartish
• Plastic bins/cases supplied by R2 Corporation
• Spent grain slurry and flammable distillation byproduct supplied by Fierce Whiskers Distillery

 Competitors may select one of the materials listed above, or source their own byproduct material for the competition. Competitors are highly encouraged to attend the Opening Pitch Event in order to participate.
 
The Opening Pitch Event will be hosted online Tuesday, Feb. 2, 6-8 PM. The event is free and open to the public. Register here.
 
For more information about the [Re]Verse Pitch Competition and how to participate, visit reversepitch.org.  
 
The [Re]Verse Pitch Competition is a collaboration between the City of Austin, Austin Young Chamber, and the U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Development with additional support from a wide variety of community partners.