What students in previous classes say about why they voted for the person/idea they did:

• "I voted the way I did because of the quality of the winner's ideas. Both pitches received votes because the entrepreneurs had done extensive research on their respective industries."
• "Strong economic moats"
• "The people that I selected were based on their ability to be a leader."
• "I voted for two people who had a professional appearance"
• "It was clear that they had researched their ideas and done work to take it further. It wasn't something they just thought about in the past week, it's something they've had in mind and have a passion for."
• "Part of why I voted was the idea itself, the person's display of ethos, but maybe the most important, was how well I felt they were prepared for this. I'd rather have a great person with a mediocre idea rather than an idiot with an excellent idea.
• "When I voted I based it off their ideas, not necessarily the person."
• "The main reason behind my votes ...the two students showed that they had researched the target market and even potential investors."
• "I also felt they were confident in their skills and that I could work easily with them."
• "When evaluating the presentations i picked the top two based on the idea presented as it could apply to a broad market."
• "I chose people based on whether or not i would actually use the service or product they were presenting."
• The two I voted for had two things in common: Both seemed very prepared and confident because they had clearly done research."
• "Both presenters were very professional and persuasive and seem like they would both make excellent leaders."
• "I would definitely want to be on either of their teams because I feel they are prepared enough to really make there business happen."
• "I seemed to be in the market for both of their businesses they were presenting, which I think is crucial when doing a business pitch. The pitch will be more successful if the person / people you are presenting it to be interested and are a part of your target market."
• "Both presenters were well dressed and looked professional. I felt like the presenters were a little more serious about their idea if they took the time out to dress well."
• "I mainly evaluated the pitches based on how convincing the presenter sounded to me."
• "I only judged on how enthusiastic the individuals were about their ideas and if they were serious and sincere enough to do research on their idea and try to make it sound convincing."
• "I mainly judged on the personality of the individual, their ingenuity and their talent because I think that businesses and their decisions are ultimately made by individuals and not the ideas itself."
• "He had the most impressive background."
• "The two students that I voted for though seemed to be the most prepared and really believed in their company. "
• "Both of the students that I chose actually had many things in common in terms of their pitches. They both had very strong communication skills and they were really able to convey that they knew what they were talking about."
• "They were also both able to carry themselves in a professional manner."
• "My first speaker I chose because right during his speech, I felt like I could see that person as my superior. The way that they presented themselves and stood up in front of the room with confidence really sold."
• "The second person I chose because to be honest, I really respected the idea. This particular person had an idea, acted on it, realized that people were interested in it so they wanted to pursue something larger."
• "The two people I voted for in the business pitch competition demonstrated a need for their product or service."
• "One of the main things that stood out to me about their speeches was that they showed that people would use their product or service; that it was something that people needed."