This past Tuesday, December 9, SwitchPitch made its debut in Atlanta at Terminal West. About 85 local startups and 8 large corporations were in attendance for this role-reversal event that seeks to switch up the norm of startups pitching to large companies. SwitchPitch allows big corporations to explain their business needs to startups. Startups then provide, and possibly become, the solution to their problem.
The event featured a panel of tech entrepreneurs and corporate executives who offered advice to the startups in attendance and discussed the ways in which startups and corporations can work together. Additionally, The Weather Channel and Global Payments presented their respective 2015 innovation projects.
A few takeaways from the panel include:
- Large companies want the startups they work with to succeed.
- It’s important to nurture your customer relationships and provide them with valuable information on a regular basis.
- Challenge yourself to become well known in your industry. Speak, network, and participate in all that your community has to offer.
In addition to the business opportunities, SwitchPitch also provides incredible networking opportunities for startups in attendance as well. "I'm not expecting that I'm going to find someone at this event who specifically needs my solution," said Johnson Cook, founder of Voxa, according to GPB News. "But if I can have a relationship that can offer an introduction, then that's very valuable to me.”
"It does not hurt that I just met the chief innovation officer at Equifax and the chief CIO of Georgia Pacific. So you always want to be in the room when the right people are there,” Cook added.
Since its beginning in 2013, SwitchPitch has tracked 90 projects and 28 deals, which have generated over $2 million in revenue for startups. If your startup wants to get involved, visit the SwitchPitch website at http://switchpitch.com/ and check out the dates and locations of upcoming events.