Palo Alto Software Partners with America’s SBDCs to Sponsor First Nationwide Business Pitch Competition
Eugene, Ore. (PRWEB) August 14, 2014 -- Palo Alto Software, a creator of business planning and management dashboard software for small businesses, is partnering with America’s Small Business Development Centers to host a nationwide SBDC pitch competition, offering over $20,000 in cash and prizes to the winning SBDC.
Participants will use Palo Alto Software’s flagship business planning and small business management dashboard software, LivePlan, to develop a one-page business pitch. LivePlan allows users to formulate goals, budgets and forecasts, track performance metrics against those goals,using the LivePlan Scoreboard, a small business management dashboard.
“Through this competition, we hope to show the value in not only creating a quality one-page business plan, but also tracking key performance metrics against that plan to make sure your business stays on track,” said Palo Alto Software CEO Sabrina Parsons. “The idea that all business plans are outdated simply isn’t true. Today, business plans can be agile, and are essential for both existing businesses looking to grow and startups looking to impress investors.”
Pitches will be evaluated based on their completeness, quality and clarity of pitch elements, perceived feasibility, identification of local small business challenges, and the intention to improve the small business landscape in their respective SBDC regions.
Parsons will serve as a judge on the panel along with Palo Alto Software President and Founder Tim Berry, and America’s SBDC President and CEO Charles “Tee” Rowe.
“LivePlan can really help small business get to the next level," said Rowe. “This competition is all about helping them realize that goal. Anyone can have a great idea, but getting that idea across to a lender or investor is crucial. Win or lose, these entrepreneurs will be able to put together quality plans that will, without a doubt, help their businesses succeed in the long run.”
Entries are due on August 22 at midnight. Winners will be announced at America’s SBDC Conference in Texas on September 10. The winning pitch will receive $20,000 in cash and prizes.
Palo Alto Software and America’s SBDCs have been partnering to help entrepreneurs nationwide for over 20 years. To learn more about the competiiton and enter your business plan, please visit http://www.liveplan.com/blog/asbdc-pitch-competition/.
About Palo Alto Software, Inc.
Palo Alto Software, Inc., makers of the #1 selling business planning software in the world, develops and publishes tools, products, and content to help small and midsized businesses pitch, plan, manage, and grow their ventures. LivePlan, the company’s flagship product, is a SaaS (software as a service) solution for business planning and financial management. Palo Alto Software has been the market leader in its category for over 15 years, has served well over 2 million entrepreneurs, and has customers in 180 countries. It was founded in 1988 by business planning expert Tim Berry. Sabrina Parsons has been the company’s CEO since 2007. Parsons successfully expanded its service offering into the cloud with LivePlan. Palo Alto Software is a privately-owned corporation based in Eugene, Oregon.
Kelsey Gunderson, Walker Sands, http://www.walkersands.com, +1 312-880-1923, [email protected]
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