DISCOVERY FOUNDATION'S
DISCOVER YOUR PITCH FINAL REPORT 2020 - 2021
DISCOVER YOUR PITCH: FINAL REPORT
2020 - 2021
Introduction JABC hosted the third annual Discovery Foundation’s Discover your Pitch program in Spring 2021. Discover your Pitch is an exclusive investor pitch competition for B.C. high school students who have taken a senior JA entrepreneurship program. Student teams that are invited to join Discover your Pitch attend entrepreneurship workshops, pitch practice sessions, and a preliminary competition in the hopes of making it to the provincial finals. A total of $7,400 in cash was up for grabs over the course of the program!
Co-emcee, Alice Ko, student at UBC and JA Alumna
Co-emcee, Christian Ratcliffe, Director of Development & Government Relations at JABC
Dr. David Harper, CEO of Discovery Foundation, delivered welcome remarks
JABC hosted this program virtually again this year, allowing more B.C. youth to participate. We are grateful for the support and leadership of all of our partners who helped make this exciting program happen for the 100+ students that participated from across B.C.
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DISCOVER YOUR PITCH: FINAL REPORT
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Program Components
Workshop 2
Entrepreneurship Workshops JABC worked with League of Innovators to host two 90-minute mandatory workshops that provided students with in-depth training on how to pitch their businesses and create an impactful, investor-ready presentation.
Pitch Practice Sessions Student volunteers from the SFU Beedie School of Business provided one-on-one coaching for teams in preparation for the preliminary competition. All volunteer coaches had to attend a trainthe-trainer session hosted by League of Innovators. A second pitch practice session was held for the finalists before heading into the final round.
Preliminary Round The preliminary competitions were held over 4 days with different judging panels on each day. The top 9 teams from that week were advanced to the final round and received a small cash prize.
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The Provincial Finals The top 9 teams from the preliminary rounds were invited to participate in the Provincial Finals on May 26 in a 90-minute live webcast. Approximately 200 viewers joined the live stream. Teams had to present a 30 second elevator pitch as well as a 5 minute investor pitch. Viewers online were asked to vote for their favorite elevator pitch while a panel of business leaders judged the main pitches.
View the 2021 Finals
The Prize Winners *prizes were also given out during the preliminary round
ECOBuy Port Moody $2,500 + $1,000 First Place + Best Elevator Pitch
UVOLVE Vancouver $1,000
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1
Eco Burrito Vancouver $500
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Photo Highlights
Judges Lara Dauphinee, Paul Geyer, Stuart Louie, Gerald Ma and Tracey McVicar selecting the top three pitches.
A massive thank you to all of our partners for helping make Discovery Foundation's Discover your Pitch a success!
Teams are required to conduct a competitive analysis and share their findings during their pitch.Team UpCyc, an app incentivizing and inspiring people to commit to upcycling waste towards a better environment, shared the above.
Team Eco-Terrariums uses recycled glass jars, and natural resources to curate the terrarium to cleanse your surroundings and solve the global issue of irresponsible consumption.
Bunny Ghatrora, Co-founder and COO of Blume joined us Team ECOBuy was the big winner of the day, taking away the first place prize of for the finale to share her start-up journey. Bunny also $2,500 for the best 5 minute pitch, determined by our panel of judges. They also participated in a short Q&A with the 9 finalist teams. snagged an additional $1,000 for having the best elevator pitch, voted by our viewers.
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2021 Judges Thank you to our incredible panel of judges who guided the students through the preliminary and final rounds of the competition. Provincial Final Round Judges
Lara Dauphinee Managing Director, Fiore Group
Paul Geyer CEO, Discovery Parks & Nimbus Synergies
Stuart Louie Governor, London Drugs Ltd.
Gerald Ma Tracey McVicar Executive Committee Member Partner, CAI Capital & General Manager, CBD, Partners CK Asset Holdings Ltd.
Preliminary Round Judges
Mark Betteridge CEO, Mark Betteridge and Associates
Jaclyn De Jong Associate Director Projects, SFU Beedie School of Business
Kris D. Mailman COO & Executive Vice President, Seymour Pacific Developments
Carmen Ryujin Manager, Community Investment BC, RBC
James Delorme Indigenous Digital Advisor, President, Indigeknow
Mindy Stroet Director of Development, Prince George Community Foundation
Brian Gebbie Director, Practice Development, Freedom 55 Financial
Sam Varing Associate, Baker Newby LLP
David Harper CEO, Discovery Foundation
Adam Vickers Senior Financial Advisor, Experior Financial Group
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Measuring Program Success All Discover your Pitch participants were asked to complete an online survey about their experience. The survey was conducted immediately after the preliminary round and before the finalists were announced to mitigate any bias. The purpose of the survey was to measure the overall effectiveness of the program, including our success in improving students’ presentation and communication skills, inspiring them to consider a career in business, specifically entrepreneurship, and enhancing the JA student experience.
98%
of students enjoyed the program! 98% of the participants shared that they either "loved" the program or found it "pretty good". 2% said they had no strong feelings about it one way or the other. There were zero votes for the options "I didn't really enjoy it that much" and "I really didn't like it".
I learned... Skills about finances, group dynamics, marketing, as well as how to make a compelling presentation. To public speak with confidence. How to properly design a good, concise business presentation with the best information to pitch our ideas in a short amount of time. The importance of adjusting the company strategy and consistently evaluating it as if you are someone outside your company. How to grab people's attention in presentations and pitch with the aspect of my own story.
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Highlights of Student Survey Results "I feel that the skills I've learned during this program will be helpful in my future career."
4.41 average rating given by students
"I feel more confident in communicating my ideas to potential investors."
4.27 average rating given by students
"I feel more confident that I know how to start a business."
4.07 average rating given by students
How likely are you to recommend this program to a friend?
8.93 average rating given by students
This program really helped me boost my confidence when speaking to people. I also learned many skills about how to best present an idea to someone. - 2021 Student Participant
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#81 Fort Nelson
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#57 Prince George
This year Discover your Pitch attracted a record number of students and school districts, representing the most geographically diverse pool of participants.
2018 - 2019
2020 -2021
2019 - 2020
#44 North Vancouver
125
Student Participants
117
100
104 #39 Vancouver
#43 Coquitlam
75 #38 Richmond
71 63
50 25
40 30
28 17
0
Workshops
Preliminary Round
17
Finals
Competition Stage Over the years, demand for capstone experience such as Discover your Pitch continues to grow. 8
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JABC Observations Discover your Pitch has grown by over 500% since its start 3 years ago. Thanks to the continued support of our presenting partner, Discovery Foundation, we were able to transition the program to a fully virtual one and enable more B.C. youth access to the competition. One of the key elements JABC wanted to focus on this year was the education workshops. The transition to digital in the 2020 program meant we lost some of the crucial interactive components that benefit the students. Bringing on League of Innovators this year and adding more resources and touchpoints, including a train-the-trainer for coaches meant the students were better prepared for the competition. In 2022, we plan to enhance our recruitment efforts to increase registration. We will be hosting an entrepreneurship bootcamp during spring break where students will experience a condensed version of JA Be Entrepreneurial, one of the precursors to Discover your Pitch. Teams that place in the top of their cohorts will be invited to Discover your Pitch. We look forward to continuing to partner with Discovery Foundation to grow Discover your Pitch in the 2021-22 school year.
Members of Team ECOBuy as they were announced as the big winners of the day. ECOBuy is an app that supplies users with discounts and rewards on eco-friendly products found in stores.
I really wish to be a business major in the future so entering this competition really helped me and allowed me to take a step further in fulfilling my dream. - 2021 Student Participant
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Thank you to our Partners Presenting Partner
Education Partner
Supporting Partner
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Appendices Appendix A: The 9 Finalists and their Companies Company
Description
City
BlueHouse reconstructs the presentation of a
BlueHouse
“home” by adapting to rising sea levels and
Prince George
providing the resources to adjust to change. Eco Burrito creates a roll-up cutlery case that is
Eco Burrito
designed for convenience and the environment, helping
Vancouver
people bring their cutlery to the places they need to go.
ECOBuy
Enlight
ECOBuy is an app that supplies users with discounts and rewards on eco-friendly products found in stores. Enlight is an app that guides ambitious achievers throughout their goal-accomplishing journey.
Port Moody
Vancouver
Eco-Terrariums uses recycled glass jars, and natural
Eco-Terrariums
resources to curate the terrarium to cleanse your surroundings and solve the global issue of
Vancouver
irresponsible consumption.
Smile on the Go
UpCyc
UVOLVE
WaveSave
Smile on the Go is a durable, reusable, and eco-friendly toothbrush made of bamboo and stainless steel.
Prince George
UpCyc is an app incentivizing and inspiring people to commit to upcycling waste towards a better environment.
Kelowna & Vancouver
UVOLVE is a tech sanitisation company aimed at making daily hygiene convenient & sustainable using their sanitising robot that uses UV light to clean compact yet frequently touched surfaces in public areas.
Vancouver
WaveSave, has developed a 100% eco-friendly oceanplastic phone case to do their part in helping the environment, as well as saving the ocean.
Port Moody
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Appendices Appendix B: Student Letters Dear Dr. David Harper, We are business students from University Hill Secondary School, and we participated in the 2021 Discover Your Pitch final competition. We are Kaede Usui, Roshini Venkatesh, and Louise Zhou who founded the student company UVOLVE and won second place in the final competition. Our adventure in this program has opened up many opportunities, built our skills, and unveiled the world of entrepreneurship. We are very thankful for your support in this valuable experience and it significantly contributed to our passion for pitching and business leadership. Your financial support motivated us throughout the journey and toward our future dreams. During this process, we acquired confidence, communication, and critical thinking skills, crucial for being a future entrepreneur actively leading society. Not only your generous support motivated us, but it also empowers future participants of this program. As youth entrepreneurs, we are very grateful for your assistance in our journey. We are still in the learning process of this entrepreneurship world, and we are curious to dig deeper into this field. Thank you, and we hope to see you again in our future journey. Sincerely, The UVOLVE team
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Appendices Appendix B: Student Letters (cont.) Dear Dr. David Harper, I am incredibly thankful to have team Eco Burrito selected as one of the top three teams of Discover Your Pitch 2021, and would like to express my gratitude for your generous donation. Next year, I will be continuing my studies at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Applied Science. I hope to bring with me the teamwork skills, pitching experience, and entrepreneurial spirit I have gained from this competition to my postsecondary education and beyond. In the two years I have been a part of the Junior Achievement Company Program, I have been given tremendous opportunities to learn and grow. From learning to structure meetings to finding sewers for our product, my experience with the program has greatly enriched me as an individual. I have become a more confident speaker, team leader, and resilient thinker. The Discover Your Pitch competition was the culmination of our team’s year-long hard work, giving us the opportunity to present to real business leaders in a professional manner. The skills which I have gained from the workshops and pitch presentations is invaluable and will continue to influence my learning journey for years to come. To be recognized for our team’s dedication to entrepreneurship is a huge encouragement. I truly appreciate my teachers, the Junior Achievement program staff, and their sponsors for allowing me to be a part of this incredible learning experience. Thank you very much for your sponsorship of Discover Your Pitch, and for supporting me in my educational journey. Your kindness is inspirational, and I hope to contribute to my community in the future as well. Sincerely, Nara Iamsakun
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Appendices Appendix C: Team Registrations over the Years
2018 - 2019
2020 -2021
2019 - 2020
40
Teams Registered
30
32 26 22
20
10
10
20
10
9
9
6
0
Workshops
Preliminary Round
Finals
Competition Stage
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360 - 475 West Georgia Street Vancouver, BC V6B 4M9 T: 604.688.3887 jabc.ca | jabc.ca/discoveryourpitch
Our purpose is to inspire, prepare and empower B.C. youth for lifelong success. We deliver financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship programs to B.C. students in metro, urban, rural, and Indigenous communities. We acknowledge that our work spans many Territories and that our head office is located on the shared traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.