WINTER 2019 | DEC. 4+5 | SANTA MONICA, CA
This is a past event. Replay all presentations and view upcoming events.

Pitch Slam: Your Company in the Industry Spotlight

Brewbound Live Pitch Slam: presented by Craft Brew Alliance
is a showcase for entrepreneurs from beer and beyond.


BREWBOUND LIVE

MEET THE INDUSTRY, THEN PITCH 'EM!

Up to fifteen semi-finalists begin the competition with a half-day of education and one-on-one conversations with respected alcohol industry veterans. The half-day session culminates in an opening round of concise semi-final pitches. 

Five entrepreneurs advance to the main stage finals on Day 2, where they are challenged to make a lasting impression in three minutes. Judges also have four minutes to ask additional questions, while sampling two chosen products.

BREWBOUND LIVE

COMPETE AGAINST THE NEXT BREAKOUT BRANDS

We have expanded our competition to include innovative products across the alcohol industry. The Pitch Slam includes products from the beer category and beyond: hard seltzer, alcoholic kombucha, cannabis-infused beverages, cider, canned cocktails and non-alcoholic beer. Respected industry veterans -- including brand founders, distributors, retailers, investors, marketers, and consultants -- will judge.

BREWBOUND LIVE

REACH A NATIONAL INDUSTRY AUDIENCE

 

Participants are the celebrities of the show as engaged attendees and thousands of live stream viewers watch the pitches with anticipation. During the competition, participants receive actionable advice from an expert panel of judges, experience pitching in a high-stakes environment, and gain two days of valuable industry exposure.

In addition to a paid trip for two to Craft Brew Alliance for strategy sessions, and a free registration for Brewbound Live Winter 2020, the Pitch Slam 11 winner also receives additional exposure via a $10,000 Brewbound industry awareness advertising package

 

APPLY

Presented By

Grow Your Business & Find New Partners.


Education to Kickstart the Challenge

The day before the main event, up to 15 semi-finalists take part in a half-day educational session designed to help early-stage ventures overcome the challenges and pitfalls that many startup companies encounter. In addition to meeting one-on-one with experts and judges, the session also features the opening round of pitches that will determine the five finalists.



Finals on the Main Stage

Five finalists are selected by a panel of expert judges to present on the Brewbound Live stage on Day 2 of the conference. Participants have just three minutes to deliver their pitches, followed by four-minute Q&A sessions with the judges. Participants provide two different product samples, one to be tasted prior to the competition and one during, that the judges evaluate.

 


The Grand Prize

The champion wins a paid trip for two to Portland, Oregon, for a multi-day strategy and education session with Craft Brew Alliance executives and brewers. In addition, the winner receives an industry awareness advertising package with Brewbound and free registration to Brewbound Live Winter 2020.

Attending Brewbound Live

Think of the Pitch Slam as a way to amplify your Brewbound Live experience. The Pitch Slam offers a unique opportunity to showcase your brand on stage and make a mark on the industry. 

Pitching opens doors to conversations with experts and partners who can help grow your business and enhances your networking efforts at the conference. In addition to the educational session and takeaways from the judges, you’ll benefit from the full two-day program which provides insight into industry trends, challenges, and “what’s next” for the brewing industry.

While there are no costs associated with applying for the Pitch Slam, participants must be registered attendees of the Brewbound Live conference.

 

REGISTER

Past Champions














Winning Pitches


Respected Industry Members Judge the Competition.

  • Marty Ochs, President, Sales, Brew Pipeline - Brewbound Live Winter 2019

    Marty Ochs

    President, Sales, Brew Pipeline

    Marty Ochs, President, Sales, Brew Pipeline - Brewbound Live Winter 2019

    Marty Ochs

    President, Sales, Brew Pipeline

    Marty helped build two well-known field teams from scratch during stints with both Oskar Blues Brewery and Ninkasi Brewing Co. Founder of E3 Craft Strategies, he consulted with craft brewers on branding, annual business plans, core competencies, and responsibilities within sales, supply chain, key account operations, and marketing. Going on his forth year, Marty instructs a course on sales and distribution for Portland State university in their Beer Business certificate program. Today, Marty leads a team of regional sales directors at Brew Pipeline, focusing on innovative revenue generation for breweries, retailers and distributors.

  • Karmen Olson, co-founder, pH Experiment - Brewbound Live Winter 2019

    Karmen Olson

    co-founder, pH Experiment

    Karmen Olson, co-founder, pH Experiment - Brewbound Live Winter 2019

    Karmen Olson

    co-founder, pH Experiment

    Karmen Olson is the Director of Innovation for Craft Brew Alliance. Karmen previously served as the director of emerging business partnerships, where she discovered and integrated strategic partners. Prior to that role, Karmen was the Redhook Brand Manager for CBA, where she initiated a partnership strategy with national Retail and Media outlets that led the brand from negative to double-digit growth. Karmen has more than 15 years of experience in the Food and Beverage industry, specializing in brand strategy and strategic partnerships. Ms. Olson holds an MBA from George Fox University, a Bachelor of Science from Portland State University, and serves on the Board of Directors for Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, OR.

  • Ryan Lake, Principal, Arlington Capital Advisors - Brewbound Live Winter 2019

    Ryan Lake

    Principal, Arlington Capital Advisors

    Ryan Lake, Principal, Arlington Capital Advisors - Brewbound Live Winter 2019

    Ryan Lake

    Principal, Arlington Capital Advisors

    Ryan is a Principal at Arlington Capital Advisors, a boutique investment banking firm focused on beverage, restaurant, cannabis and franchise businesses. Ryan has over 15 years of experience with beverage companies and 20 years of investment banking and commercial banking experience and has sourced, structured and negotiated transactions for beverage brands, suppliers, importers and distributors. The team at Arlington has successfully completed over $6 billion worth of transactions for beverage clients.

  • Nico Enriquez, CEO, Willie's Superbrew - Brewbound Live Winter 2019

    Nico Enriquez

    CEO, Willie's Superbrew

    Nico Enriquez, CEO, Willie's Superbrew - Brewbound Live Winter 2019

    Nico Enriquez

    CEO, Willie's Superbrew

    Nico’s team just won best in world's first Hard Seltzer Competition- Fizz Fight. This summer a NY Post writer said Superbrew was: “what I want to drink at every bbq and picnic forever.” The key is they use real fruit so the drink has flavor, color, depth. Last year they even won the Brewbound Pitch Slam! The whole thing started by accident- when Nico, a surfer, met Willie, a goat farmer on a beach in Cape Cod. Willie was brewing a glorious ginger and lemon home-brew in his kitchen. Nico fell in love with the drink. In 2015 after years of late night dreaming he and Willie partnered up and raised $20,000 on kickstarter. They began selling the brew at local farmers markets. Now Superbrew is up 284% in New England IRI and it is doing even better across Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Trader Joe’s. Next year, the team is continuing their expansion down the East Coast, while pursuing their mission to bring transparency and real ingredients to alcohol.

  • Tom Bleigh, co-founder, pH Experiment - Brewbound Live Winter 2019

    Tom Bleigh

    co-founder, pH Experiment

    Tom Bleigh, co-founder, pH Experiment - Brewbound Live Winter 2019

    Tom Bleigh

    co-founder, pH Experiment

    Thomas Bleigh is the Innovation Brewmaster for Craft Brew Alliance where he leads a team of Innovation brewers to create new products, explore new ingredients and engage in brewing Research & Development. Tom was born in Augsburg, Germany and is a graduate of UC Davis with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and the University of Wisconsin with an Master of Fine Arts. A 16 year Craft Beer industry veteran, Tom’s interests are in meats, cheese and kimchi in addition to “Pursuit of the Perfect Pint!”

The Pitch Slam Application is CLOSED. Apply for Next Year's Competition.

If you are interested in applying, please send us a short note below. A member of the Brewbound team will respond promptly with answers to your questions and/or access to the application.

This form is from an event that has already taken place and is no longer accepting submissions.