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Small Business Pitch

The Small Business Pitch competition is your chance to present your startup idea to a panel of judges and win seed funding. Rio Salado College, in partnership with NACCE, is hosting a virtual Small Business Pitch event. If you are ready to GROW your business, the Small Business Pitch @ Rio Salado is for you! 

Open to current students and recent alumni, this event showcases the creativity and drive of Rio’s student entrepreneurs.

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Who it's for:

  • Open to all students who are currently enrolled in a minimum of 3 credit hours at Rio
  • All majors welcome
  • Students with a developed business plan or operating a small business
  • Graduates of the StartUp Sprint
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What you'll gain:

  • Experience pitching your business to real judges
  • Opportunity to win seed money
  • Visibility for your brand and idea
  • Access to the Rio entrepreneur community
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How it works:

Winners will receive a grant award that is a reimbursement for eligible business expenses to Rio Salado student entrepreneurs planning to grow their small businesses. Expenses may include but are not limited to, legal fees for registering the name and protecting trademarks, setting up a website, keeping the website running each year, improving social media visibility, boosting online search visibility, running marketing campaigns, and buying necessary equipment and supplies. All expenses are subject to approval.

Small Business Pitch Awards

  • 1st Place: $2,000
  • 2nd Place: $1,250
  • 3rd Place: $750
  • 4th Place: $250

(Previous pitch winners are not eligible.)

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How to Apply

Click on the application button below to submit your application once you have the following documents ready. All must be uploaded with your application.

  • Proof of IRS Tax ID Number (EIN)
  • Proof of setup of Legal Entity through Arizona Corporation Commission (LLC, Corporation,  Non-Profit Corporation), Business License or other State Organization
  • Simple Business Plan

Save your documents with your name (First, Last) and the name of the document before uploading

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StartUp Sprint

Your launchpad for starting your business

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Small Business Pitch

Your opportunity to win funding and showcase your venture

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Maya Mack

Business: Cornhusker Cleaning, LLC

Rio Salado Spring 2024 Small Pitch Winner

In June 2021, Mack and her partner moved with their combined six children to Arizona from Nebraska. Wanting to be available for their children, they joined an online service platform and saw an immediate need for cleaning services. Rather than work for someone else, they decided to work for themselves and started a professional company in the West Valley. They focus on common cleaning, deep cleaning, move in/move out cleans and customized cleaning on a one-time or recurring basis.

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Shaniqua Hopkins

Business: 7th Dream Helping Hearts

Rio Salado Spring 2024 Small Pitch Winner

"I am the founder of a non-profit organization that serves pregnant and parenting at-risk teens. They inspire me for two reasons: I learn so that I can guide them and it also shows them that they can further their education, too."

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Andrew Budlong

Business: Happy Days Window Cleaning

Rio Salado Spring 2024 Small Pitch Winner

"Back in 2022, I was a senior in high school, a spunky 17 year old gearing up for college. Then I had a dream to pay for my college completely debt free. I said to myself, 'I'm not going to get a job. I'm going to start my own business.' My business solves what I call the never-ending issue.: no matter the economy, windows get dirty. Happy Days Window Cleaning provides for three elements of one-story homes: cleaning for windows, screens and tracks."

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Dr. Lily Davidov

Faculty Chair
Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Real Estate,
Risk Management & Insurance, and Small Business

Dr. Lily Davidov serves as the Faculty Chair for the Accounting and Small Business department at Rio Salado College. With over two decades of expertise in entrepreneurship, executive administration, accounting, finance, and strategic planning, Dr. Davidov brings a wealth of experience to her role. Her academic career spans more than 16 years, encompassing college instruction, curriculum development, and facilitation. Dr. Davidov has held the position of Faculty Chair at Rio Salado College since 2018, demonstrating dedicated leadership in this capacity.

Learn more about Dr. Davidov

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Yolanda A. Facio

Instructional Services Coordinator Sr.
Small Business and Accounting

Yolanda A. Facio is an accomplished entrepreneur with 25 years of experience managing two brick-and-mortar businesses in Phoenix, Arizona. Her extensive background in small business ownership inspired her to pursue a career in higher education, first at Arizona State University and later at Maricopa Community Colleges. At the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), she provided consultation to hundreds of small businesses, leveraging her practical expertise. Currently, Ms. Facio is at Rio Salado College’s Small Business and Accounting department, where she mentors students, manages grant funds to support student entrepreneurs, and serves as an adjunct faculty member teaching small business courses.

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Want to learn about Rio Salado’s academic paths for entrepreneurs? Check out our Entrepreneurial Studies programs.