Crews Center for Entrepreneurship
Do you have cool ideas for a new business, either general or music-related? We’re ready to help turn your dreams into reality.
Similar to ABC's hit show, "Shark Tank," students attend a series of preparation workshops and/or individual coaching sessions to create a three minute video introducing an entrepreneurial idea to solve a significant market challenge. Finalists pitch ideas on stage before judges and a public audience to win a share of the $10,000 prize pool.
This program creates an opportunity for students to present their business venture idea in an environment that celebrates new venture creation, entrepreneurial thinking and the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. Not only are students granted this platform to showcase their talent and passions but they are awarded cash prizes and certificates of participation based on the merits of their ideas and presentations.
competition overview
The Tiger Tank Pitch Competition is an annual seed-funding grant competition held each spring semester and open to all active undergraduate and graduate UofM students.
Applicants will receive expert advice throughout the competition cycle:
- Business Plan Feedback
- One-on-One Mentorship
- Pitch Coaching
- Final Presentation Feedback
important dates
- February 1 - Applications open at 8 am
- April 12 - Applications close at 11:59 pm CST
- March 15 - April 14th Meet with Pitch Coaches via 1:1 or workshop event
- April 30 - Tiger Tank Pitch Day from 11:30 am - 2 pm
competition details:
The competition consists of two stages: (1) a Business Plan submission followed by (2) a Live Pitch.
the business plan
Closes April 12 at 11:59 pm CST
To maximize your success in the competition and beyond, startups are required to submit a comprehensive business plan through the application portal prior to the event. It should be detailed enough for a judge to perform initial due diligence and decide if they want a follow-up meeting. Participants who are selected for the second and final round of the competition will receive coaching feedback to refine their business plan from the Crews Center staff and judges.
technical requirements
- Contact Info
- Startup Name, Team Members, and Contact Information
- Business Plan Format
- Choose Document or Slide Format
- Page Limit
- Max 10 pages (standard spacing/margins). Includes Executive Summary and Financials
- Slide Format
- If using a slide-based plan, limit to 25 slides or fewer. It should not be text heavy. If primarily text, consider document format instead
- Appendix
- Max 6 pages/slides. Use for financial details, IP/patents, or letters of intent
- Exclusions
- Cover pages and Table of Contents do not count toward your page total
recommended structure
While there is no rigid template, successful Tiger Tank Startups typically include the following:
- Company Summary
- A 1-2 paragraph "elevator pitch" covering the problem, your tech solution, and the target customer.
- Customer and Market Analysis
- Who is the buyer? Provide "evidence of need" (validation) and define your total addressable market.
- Product/Service Status
- What is the current state of development? Prove that the technology actually works.
- Intellectual Property or Value Proposition
- Status of patents, licenses, or proprietary "secret sauce."
- Competitive Differentiation
- Why are you better than the current alternatives?
- Go-to-Market Strategy
- Your specific sales and marketing roadmap.
- Management Team
- Brief bios highlighting why this team is the one to make it happen.
- Financials
- A 3 – 5 year projection of revenue, profit, and cash flow.
- The Ask
- Total investment sought, intended use of funds, and potential exit strategies.
tiger tank pitch day
Finalist Present on April 30th
Students that proceed to the final round will compete in the Tiger Tank Pitch Day. Participating students will make a 7-10 minute pitch of their idea to a panel of judges.
- Problem and Solution: A clear description of the pain point and your proposed fix.
- Value Proposition: What makes your idea unique?
- Revenue Streams: How will the business make money?
- Judges will follow up with questions.
presentation guidelines
- Pitch Decks are permitted, and must be submitted 3 days before the pitch day, April 27th.
- Presenter(s) must meet with Crews Center Coaches 2x prior to pitch week.
- We highly encourage physical prototypes or props to demonstrate your concept.
- All materials must be set up before you begin. No items may be distributed to judges once the 10-minute clock starts.
- Startups are required to submit the following materials in advance of the competition:
- Business plan (PDF or slides)
- Media materials (logo, social media, headshots, company description, etc.) for the conference program and/or event website.
eligibility and additional details
The competition is for all students currently enrolled at the University of Memphis. Undergraduate students must be actively enrolled as a full-time student at the time of the competition. Graduate students must be registered and active in a masters or doctorate program at the time of the competition.
There is no limit on the number of students or non-students on the founding team, but only two students may present in the competition.50% of the team must be University of Memphis.Presenters must meet student enrollment eligibility requirements, be a founding member of the venture, and a member of the venture management team.
Interdisciplinary teams are recommended. Teams may include any number of graduate or undergraduate students. Non-students may be members of the management team and may participate in planning the venture, but only students meeting enrollment requirements may present and answer questions from the judges.
The Director of the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship reserves all rights and will have final say in determining which teams are eligible to compete in the Tiger Tank Pitch Competition and reserves the right to exclude any team for any reason.
The judge panel will consist of a minimum of three judges.Judges will be independent and not employed by the University of Memphis or the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship. Judging criteria for the pitch competition will be provided to all teams submitting valid applications for the competition.
Rules and awards are subject to change at the discretion of the Director of the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship at any time.Changes and/or interpretations of these rules may be made, even though they may appear to be in conflict with previously published information.The Director has the right to interpret these rules according to his/her judgment.
By submitting an application, teams acknowledge they own any intellectual property rights that exist or may be developed from their idea. The idea and concepts must be the original work of the individual or teams making the pitch.
All students at the University of Memphis have full access to the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship. The Crews Center provides resources, space, training, and advising/mentoring services to assist entrepreneurs with business model development, ideation, business model validation, and more.Individual office hours and pitch workshops will be conducted at the Crews Center to assist in preparing for the competition.
2025 tiger tank competition winners
First Prize:CoMerch ($2,500)
- Ayesha Issah
- Kristina Mwangeka
Second Prize:ChromAid ($1,500)
- Onyinyechukwu Okoli
- Sumiran Sharma
Third Prize:Hurt2Healing($1,000)
- Sydnie Allen
First Prize:Brass Routes ($2,500)
- Dylan Mashburn
Second Prize:Once Lost But Now Found ($1,500)
- Quanita Hankins
Third Prize:Music Meets Ministry ($1,000)
- Joshua Johnson
(L-R) Crews Center Ambassadors 2024-2025
Preet Patel, Toriyell Howard, Daryl Rojas, Whitney Hardy- Crews Center, Lydia Haworth-
Crews Center, Gloria Obeng, Aidan Fitzhugh, Not pictured: Syd McKissack, Samaneh Mohebalizadeh