SOCO Entrepreneurship Competition: Pueblo's version of 'Shark Tank' is free to attend
Pueblo’s SOCO Entrepreneurship Competition has served as a launch pad for local entrepreneurs for over a decade.
Adult entrepreneurs will pitch business concepts to venture capitalists at the 11th annual iteration of the Shark Tank-style competition at Wake Up Pueblo, 102 Oneida St., on Saturday, April 12 at 6 p.m.
Additionally, a “Student Competition” featuring youth entrepreneurs will take place in the Life Sciences Building at Colorado State University Pueblo, 2200 Bonforte Blvd., on Friday, April 11 at 6 p.m.
Both events are free to attend and organized by the Healy Center—a fellowship of community-minded students from CSU Pueblo’s Hasan School of Business. Dr. Michael Wakefield, the Healy Center’s Director for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, said the competition consists of those with ambition and a vision that they want to see “come to life.”
“That’s what I really think builds America—people seeing a need and filling it,” he said. “Then, they hire people and provide jobs. That is the lifeblood of the economy.”
The two-day SOCO Entrepreneurship Competition is the largest competition of its kind in Southern Colorado. Individual and group entries participating in the adult division on April 12th may come to the table in search of something to take their businesses to the next level.
That something, provided by the panel of venture capitalists, may come in the form of mentorship, seed money, a loan or even a storefront for operating a business.
Youth competing in the student division on April 11th will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges with a chance to win prizes in the form of scholarships and cash.
Even if they aren’t entrepreneurs pitching an idea, audience members at the adult and student competitions also can win. With a $1 ticket purchase, attendees of either competition can vote for their favorite entrepreneurs and enter a cash giveaway. The competitor that receives the most votes will gain an additional prize.
The Healy Center continues to look for community sponsors to fund the SOCO Entrepreneurship Competition and will be accepting entries for both competitions up until a week before competition day. Individuals can contact healycentercompetition@gmail.com or visit https://healycenter.packsites.net/ for more information.
The Healy Center provides other services such as economic impact studies and strategic analyses where “students learn skills that are valuable in the marketplace,” Dr. Wakefield said.
“We are really trying to engage in activities that introduce our students to the community and the community to our students,” he said.
Healy Center students build their experience through networking, sales, event planning, helping competitors refine their pitches, and collaborating with team members and the community.
