X-Squared High School

Pitch Competition

You’re Invited!

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Square 1 is a non-profit with the mission to uncover, educate, support, and inspire emerging entrepreneurs and leaders, who ultimately create opportunities for themselves and others by overcoming the many obstacles life poses. Square 1 has partnered with St. Xavier High School’s Leo H. Gerbus ’53 Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to form

“X Squared High School Pitch Competition”

After teams register for the event, Square 1 will visit each school once or twice a month to assist in preparing your team’s pitch video for submission.

Teams consist of 1-3 students. Teams are then assigned to two divisions,

one for schools that have entrepreneurship classes and one division for schools that do not have classes.

The top 25 teams will then be invited to the main competition on Saturday, January 25^th from 7:30am – 2pm at St. Xavier High School. Each team will pitch two times, each time to a different group of judges.

The judges are comprised of a mix of college professors and successful entrepreneurs.

After the pitch presentations sessions all teams participate in a lunch social where they can hear and network with the top colleges in the Greater Cincinnati Region followed by the keynote speaker Tsavo Knott, Co-Founder & CEO of Pieces.com

After the lunch social the top teams pitch again to all the judges. Winning teams from each division receive a cash award of $1500 per team and a matching college scholarship should they choose to attend one of the participating colleges.

The second-place teams from each division receive a $500 cash and $500 college scholarship award.

Please join us in this exciting opportunity!

Participating Universities

The University of Cincinnati

The University of Dayton

Miami University

Mount St. Joseph University

Northern Kentucky University

The University of Thomas More

Xavier University

X SQUARED HS PITCH COMPETITION PLUS

Although we provide an Evaluation Sheet, our goal is to mimic the real-world experience of entrepreneurship and venture pitching. Rather than just filling out checkboxes or assigning grades, we want you to consider each team’s pitch holistically—much like you would if you were hearing their ideas in the boardroom of a venture capital firm.

When evaluating, consider: Did the team effectively communicate their understanding of the problem? Does their idea feel viable, and does it spark excitement? It doesn’t have to be a high-growth startup; a venture that fills a growing market niche, or even a social nonprofit, can be just as compelling. What’s key is whether the team’s pitch makes you want to support their idea. Also, assess the strength of their team—do they seem capable of executing their vision?

Remember, these teams aren’t asking for funding. Instead, they’re looking to advance through this competition by demonstrating that they’re worthy of being finalists and potential winners. Each pitch should be an opportunity for teams to showcase their vision, demonstrate their depth of understanding, and convey their potential for real-world impact. As judges, look for the teams who distinguish themselves by presenting clear, compelling solutions, a solid strategy for execution, and the passion and resilience that are essential for entrepreneurial success.

JUDGES NAME:

TEAM:

How well did the team communicate the problem they are solving?

Not so good                 Nailed it!

1          2          3          4          5

How well did the team communicate the solution?

Not so good                 Nailed it!

1          2          3          4          5

Did the team identify the Target Market and validate it through research? Did it include research on the opportunity and Market Size?

Not so good                Great work!

1          2          3          4          5

Did the team identify the competition and define their Value Proposition?

Not so good                Great work!

1          2          3          4          5

Did the team convince you enough people would buy, and the venture would be profitable?

Not so much                Nailed it!

1          2          3          4          5

Did they convince you that their team will succeed?

Not so much                Nailed it!

1          2          3          4          5

Please rate the overall pitch quality and effectiveness.

Not so good                   Stellar!

1          2          3          4          5

Please rank each team in order (The top pitch is #1):

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8