The Rise Up Pitch Competition program is open to residents of Canada who (at the time of participation, selection and fulfillment):

  1. have reached the legal age of majority in their province/territory of residence;
  2. are not an employee, representative or agent (or domiciled with any such

person, whether related or not) of the Sponsor or Organizer(s), its associated and affiliated entities, advertising/promotion agencies or any other individual(s), entity or

entities involved in the development, production, implementation,

administration, judging or fulfillment of the Program (collectively with the

Sponsor, the “Program Parties”); and

  1. have the unencumbered authority to: (i) participate in the Program on behalf

of the Eligible Small Business; and (ii) legally bind, without limitation, to these Terms and to any other required documentation as contemplated in these Terms.

For the purposes of the Program, an “Applicant” is a Black female founder of a corporation, organization, partnership or sole proprietorship that meets all of the following criteria:

  1. The founder of a company and owner of fifty-one percent (51%) or more of said product/service/organization/corporation/partnership;
  2. must be a for profit business/service;
  3. must be an active and operational business that lawfully operates in Canada

in accordance with all applicable laws, licenses and regulations;

  1. must have its head office or principal place of business located in any province

or territory of Canada.

For the purposes of the Program, “Organizers” refers to BBPA, Casa Foundation, and de Sedulous Women Leaders and supporting partners.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Organizers reserve the right, in its sole and absolute discretion at any time, to require proof of identity and/or eligibility (in a form acceptable to organizers) for the purposes of verifying eligibility to participate in the Program. Failure to provide such proof to the complete satisfaction of organizers within the timeline specified by organizers may result in disqualification in the sole and absolute discretion of organizers.

Organizers reserve the right to reassign Applicants to different categories and to decline to offer a prize in a category if they decide that the Applicant pool is insufficient.

Organizers reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion at any time, to disqualify any Applicant if organizers determines that allowing such Applicant to participate in (or continue to participate in) the Program could bring Organizers into public disrepute or in any way impact the good standing or reputation of organizers in the eyes of the general public. Organizer’s decisions on all matters arising in this regard shall be final and binding without right of appeal.

Applicants are solely responsible for taxation requirements that arise from obtaining grant funding.

To be eligible, an application must be submitted by an Applicant through the website in accordance with the on-screen instructions and prompts on the website. Applications will not be accepted by any other means. The Organizers encourage each Applicant to carefully review the website for more details regarding the submission process for the Program.

There is a limit of one (1) application per Applicant and per Company.

If it is discovered by Organizers (using any evidence or other information made available to or otherwise discovered by Organizers) that any individual and/or entity has attempted to use any means not in keeping with the Organizer’s interpretation of the letter and/or spirit of these Terms to enter or otherwise participate in or to disrupt the Program; then such individual and/or entity may be disqualified from participating in the Program in the sole and absolute discretion of the Organizers.

Information submitted in this application will be shared for adjudication and research purposes only.  The Organizers may share anonymized information from Applications with the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub as part of a research study to build research on women entrepreneurs in Canada.

If a finalist or winner the applicant agrees to participate in media outreach if requested.

If a finalist the applicant may be asked to provide additional information and to verify details in the application

AGREEMENT TO BE LEGALLY BOUND BY TERMS:

By participating in the Program, Applicant (on her own behalf and on behalf of the business/product/service) is signifying agreement to be legally bound by these Terms.

BUSINESS PLAN EVALUATION [FOR JUDGES]:

STAGE 1 AND STAGE 2 EVALUATION CRITERIA

The business plans are evaluated by judges using a point system. Please see the points below:

Executive Summary

This section is always completed last because it provides a brief overview of what is included in the other key areas of the business plan. Ensure that your executive summary includes the below outline too.

Outline:

  • Please share about your business, your company’s mission, vision, and philosophy (0-5 points)
  • Does your business/service have an impact on your community beyond the actual product/service you provide (does your business give back to the community)? (0-5 points)
  • Has the company provided support to the community amid COVID? (0-5 points)

Company Profile

Outline:

  • Does the business have a clear organizational/management structure or plan for management expansion? (0-5 points) [the scores from this question will be used in the event of a tie]
  • Is your workforce diverse and/or employing other women (if applicable)? (0-5 points)
  • Proven and clear business growth strategy (0-10 points)
  • Clear and recognizable brand identity that matches the consumer demographic? (0-5 points)

Market Research

Outline:

  • Does your product/service fill a gap in the market? If not, does your product/service offer a more affordable, innovative spin on an existing product/service? (0-10 points)
  • Is there a barrier to entry for competition? Is the product unique, patented, have high costs to entry that would deter competition? Is the product/service easily replicable by others? (0- 10 points)
  • Outstanding business accomplishments – proven consumer satisfaction (can be online reviews, business awards, return rate on consumer purchasing etc) (0-5 points)

Sales and Marketing

Outline:

  • Well-defined target market/audience? (0-5 points)
  • Does the product/services have a high customer acquisition cost? (0-5 points)
  • Does the brand have a strong social media presence? (0-5 points)

Finanials and Operations

Outline:

  • Is the revenue model sustainable and diversified? (0-5 points)
  • What is your financial outlook/forecast for 2021? (0-5 points)
  • Does the operational model depend on external capital or from the actual product/service sold? (0-5 points)
  • Does the business innovate or is continuously refined to stay relevant (different from just adding new products or services but rather innovating the existing product/service)? (0-5 points)
  • Does your business have an eco-friendly component or are the processes utilized environmentally sustainable? (0-5 points)

GENERAL CONDITIONS:

The Program is subject to all applicable federal, provincial, territorial and municipal laws.

The decisions of Organizers with respect to all aspects of the Program are final and binding on all participants without right of appeal.

ANYONE DEEMED BY THE ORGANIZERS TO BE IN VIOLATION OF ORGANIZER’S INTERPRETATION OF THE LETTER AND/OR SPIRIT OF THESE TERMS FOR ANY REASON IS SUBJECT TO DISQUALIFICATION IN THE SOLE AND ABSOLUTE DISCRETION OF THE ORGANIZERS AT ANY TIME.

The Released Parties will not be liable for: (i) any failure of any website or any platform; (ii) any technical malfunction or other problems of any nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, those relating to the telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, access providers, computer equipment or software; (iii) the failure of any Materials, Link (and, if applicable, password) and/or other information to be received, captured or recorded for any reason whatsoever, including, but not limited to, technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website; (iv) any injury or damage to any individual’s and/or entity’s computer(s) or other device(s) related to or resulting from participating in the Program; (v) anyone being incorrectly and/or mistakenly identified as a Grant recipient or an eligible Grant recipient; and/or (vi) any combination of the above.

Organizers reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to require proof (in a form acceptable to Organizers): (i) for the purposes of verifying the eligibility and/or legitimacy of any Materials and/or other information entered (or purportedly entered) for the purposes of participating in the Program; and/or (ii) for any other reason Organizer deems necessary, in its sole and absolute discretion, for the purposes of administering the Program in accordance with Organizers’ interpretation of the letter and spirit of these Terms. Failure to provide such proof to the complete satisfaction of Organizers within the timeline specified by Organizers may result in disqualification in the sole and absolute discretion of Organizers. The sole determinant of the time for the purposes of the Program will be the official time keeping device(s) used by Organizers.

Organizers reserves the right, subject only to the approval of the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (the “Régie”) in Quebec, to withdraw, amend or suspend the Program (or to amend these Terms) in any way, in the event of any cause beyond the reasonable control of Organizers

that interferes with the proper conduct of the Program as contemplated by these Terms, including, without limitation, any error, problem, computer virus, bugs, tampering, 13 unauthorized intervention, fraud or failure of any kind whatsoever.

Any attempt to undermine the legitimate operation of the Program in any way (as

determined by Organizers in its sole and absolute discretion) may be a violation of criminal and/or civil laws and should such an attempt be made, Organizers reserves the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Organizers reserves the right, subject only to the approval of the Régie in Quebec, to cancel, amend or suspend the Program, or to amend these Terms, in any way without prior notice or obligation, in the event of any accident, printing, administrative, or other error of any kind, or for any other reason whatsoever.

By participating in the Program, each Applicant (on her own behalf and on behalf her business/company/service/product) expressly consents to Organizers, its agents and/or representatives, storing, sharing and using any personal information submitted for the purpose of administering the Program or other purposes. This section does not limit any other consent(s) that an individual or entity may provide or have provided to Organizers’ or others in relation to the collection, use and/or disclosure of personal information.

Organizers reserve the right, subject only to the approval of the Régie in Quebec, to adjust any of the dates, timeframes and/or other mechanics stipulated in these Terms, to the extent deemed necessary by Organizers, for purposes of verifying compliance by any participant, Materials and/or other information with these Terms, or as a result of any technical or other problems, or in light of any other circumstances which, in the opinion of Organizers, in its sole and absolute discretion, affect the proper administration of the Program as contemplated in these Terms, or for any other reason.

In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between these English Terms and disclosures or other statements contained in any Program-related materials, including, but not limited to: the Website, French version of these Terms, point of sale, television, print or online advertising and/or any instructions or interpretations of these Terms given by any representative of Organizers; the terms and conditions of these English Terms shall prevail, govern and control to the fullest extent permitted by law.

The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Terms shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Terms shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with the terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.

For Quebec residents: Any litigation respecting the conduct or organization of a publicity contest may be submitted to the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux for a ruling. Any litigation respecting the awarding of a prize may be submitted to the board only for the purpose of helping the parties reach a settlement.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Terms or the rights and obligations of participants, Organizers or any of the other the Released Parties in connection with the Program will be governed by and construed in accordance with the domestic laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law Terms or provisions that would cause the application of any other jurisdiction’s laws. The parties hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts located in Ontario in any action to enforce (or otherwise relating to) these Terms or relating to the Program.

If a winner, the applicant may be required to report of the use of financial award as deemed eligible by the Organizers