SMALL BUSINESS CONTEST
TELUS PITCH RETURNS WITH JUDGE AND BUSINESS EXPERT ARLENE DICKINSON CANADIAN SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS HAVE A SHOT AT $150,000
"STUDY: 66% of Canadians believe access to funding is the most important resource for growing a small business" In partnership with judge and business expert, Arlene Dickinson, TELUS announced the return of TELUS Pitch - Canada’s largest small business contest that will award more than $150,000 in total prizing. Starting today, and running until June 23, small business owners can enter to win much needed capital funding to help reach their business goals and contribute to their community. Small businesses account for nearly 98 per cent of all companies in Canada with upwards of 100,000 new businesses emerging each year. According to a new report commissioned by 12
I CANADIANSME MAGAZINE I JUNE 2019
TELUS, 66 per cent of Canadians surveyed cited access to funding as the biggest hurdle in getting a small business off the ground. 'Arlene Dickinson, general partner of District Ventures Capital and judge on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, continues her partnership with TELUS as lead judge and contest mentor working with finalists to refine their pitches in the lead up to the TELUS Pitch Live Finale Summit event on July 30, where finalists will pitch live for the $100,000 grand prize. “Pitching is the foundation of business. Entrepreneurs are pitching constantly—for money, for customers, for support,” said Dickinson. “And it’s not easy. When TELUS asked, 2 out of 3 Canadians said they would be nervous pitching venture capitalists. That’s where programs like TELUS Pitch can help— in providing access to funding and exposure to a group of like-minded, leading Canadian business people who are willing to share
their experiences in an effort to guide small business owners in refining their pitches.” TELUS Pitch 2019 will also be supported by Samsung, Facebook and Canadian small business company Workhaus, a co-working space with eight locations throughout Toronto, as well as hubs in Kitchener-Waterloo and Calgary. “Small businesses are an integral part of the Canadian economy, and have long been core to TELUS’ culture of giving back,” said Roi Ross, vice president, Small Business Solutions, TELUS. “Nearly a third of Canadians believe that as a country we can be doing more to support small businesses, which is why TELUS has created a robust support system for entrepreneurs through initiatives like TELUS Pitch which also provides essential funding and mentorship - no strings attached.” The total contest prizing includes: