Finalists in the Regnier College Startup Awards will compete in-person at UMKC’s Henry W. Bloch School of Management on April 25, 2025. Winners must attend the awards ceremony to claim their prizes.

Finals Round 1 Elevator Pitch

Each venture will deliver a 2-minute elevator pitch with one slide managed by competition staff. All judges will attend, offering ventures a chance to explain their work and build excitement. The goal of this elevator pitch is to get the audience and judges excited about what you are doing and to give them a starting point for the deeper discussions later in the competition.

Finals Round 1 Elevator Pitch Judging Criteria

• Offering (1-7, 4 is average)
  • It is clear what the commodity, product, service, or experience (or mix thereof) being offered is. The offering is compelling for the customer segment.
• Customer (1-7, 4 is average)
  • It is clear who the customer segment is and the opportunity is significant: the team has a plan to reach customers in sufficient numbers to make the venture sustainable and, as appropriate, scalable.
• Value Proposition (1-7, 4 is average)
  • The associated offering improves the customer’s well-being by solving a big problem or creating a significant opportunity for them and is distinctive, measurable, and sustainable.

Finals Round 2

In Round 2, ventures will present in two sessions: a finance room and a feasibility room, with judges divided by expertise. Competitors are allowed a slide deck during this portion. Each session lasts 15 minutes, with up to 5 minutes for presenting and the remainder for Q&A. Ventures will receive a schedule for their sessions.

Finance Session

This session focuses on the venture’s financial structure and projections. Ventures must prepare a 5-page financial packet, ensuring all content is clear on 8.5×11 pages. Judges will assess viability, and ventures should present their case effectively based on the judging criteria. Example financial packet components:

• Startup costs
• Cost Structure
• Revenue Model/Pricing strategy
• COGS/unit economics
• Breakeven analysis
• Income statement
• Multi-year pro forma

Competitors are encouraged to include the information they think is most informative and useful for understanding of their venture. The above components are recommended, though ventures should make their own decisions on what to include and how much space to use on each section.

Finals Round 2 / Finance Session Judging Criteria

• Startup (0 – 7, 0 is weakest and shows significant issues, 7 is best)
  • How well did the team identify the money required to start? Did they identify specific purchases and reasonable cost expectations?
  • How well did the team analyze and calculate the breakeven point?
  • How well did the team identify how prize money will be used to move this venture forward? How impactful will prize money be on the ultimate success of this venture?
• Operating (0 – 7, 0 is weakest and shows significant issues, 7 is best)
  • How well did the team calculate and articulate the cost of acquiring each customer? (i.e. What’s the marketing expenses to attract customers?)
  • How well has the team analyzed and identified the cost of running this venture? (Income statement expenses)
  • How well has the team identified the fixed and variable costs of this venture? Has the team identified all purchases needed to facilitate planned growth?
• Unit Analysis (0 – 7, 0 is weakest and shows significant issues, 7 is best)
  • How well did the team articulate the cost of each unit of its product, service or offering?
  • How well did the team articulate the offering’s revenue per unit
  • How well did the team analyze and calculate their estimates?  
  • Can the team concisely articulate their profit margin per unit?
• Projections (0 – 7, 0 is weakest and shows significant issues, 7 is best)
  • How well did the team explain their first-year income statement projections and their confidence in achieving those numbers?
  • To what extent did the team identify Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) to assess the financial progress of the startup?
  • How reasonable are the team’s expectations for sources and amount of revenue?
  • How well did the team identify key assumptions and use evidence to support their conclusions?

Feasibility Session

This session focuses on the venture’s feasibility and operations. Ventures must prepare a 5-page feasibility packet, ensuring all content is clear on 8.5×11 pages. Competitors are allowed a slide deck during this portion. Judges will assess feasibility, and ventures should present their case effectively based on the judging criteria. Example feasibility packet components:

• Product/service/offering description and/or image
• Customer personas
• Market Research
• Marketing strategy
• Industry analysis
• Go-to-market strategy
• Production strategy
• Business model

All businesses are different, and competitors should choose which sections to include, what information to include in those sections, and how much space to spend on each section.

Finals Round 2 / Feasibility Session Judging Criteria

• Offering (0 – 7, 0 is weakest and shows significant issues, 7 is best)
  • The product, service, or experience (or mix thereof) is clearly explained. It is clear what is being offered.
  • The associated offering improves the customer’s wellbeing by solving a big problem or creating a significant opportunity for them
  • The team’s product or prototype is compelling or the plan to develop one is reasonable
  • The revenue model and cost structure demonstrate financial sustainability, or a path to sustainability
• Customer (0 – 7, 0 is weakest and shows significant issues, 7 is best)
  • The venture understands their customer segment(s), including pain points, influencers, decision triggers, and preferences
  • The customers are reachable, by the venture, in sufficient numbers
  • The venture has demonstrated that customers have significant interest in the offering and have the ability to pay
• Market and Industry (0 – 7, 0 is weakest and shows significant issues, 7 is best)
  • The venture understands their market and industry
  • The venture has a strong understanding of market and industry trends and changes.
  • Venture understands the regulatory framework and has a plan to navigate relevant legal issues
  • There is clear differentiation from competitors and substitutes
• Team (0 – 7, 0 is weakest and shows significant issues, 7 is best)
  • Enough is known about the team to make an assessment. Its members have relevant specific skills and experience to execute on the idea.
  • Individuals on the team are passionate, committed, and inspired to contribute to this venture
• Traction (0 – 7, 0 is weakest and shows significant issues, 7 is best)
  • The venture has demonstrated clear and concrete progress on the venture
  • The venture has earned revenue or has a clear plan to begin earning revenue
  • Significant progress has been made to create the business structure
  • There is a clear plan to utilize award money to create a significant impact on the venture’s trajectory

Ventures should aim to demonstrate high feasibility, impact, and scalability to the judges, presenting information in the most compelling way possible.