Teaching the techno-pitch: Taking student innovators beyond the elevator pitch

Abstract

Student innovators need to learn to pitch their ideas online using electronic versions of the elevator pitch-to borrow a cliche-and to learn to craft a pitch that does not violate rules about the disclosure of potentially patentable ideas. Our social networks now provide electronic opportunities to pitch ideas in even shorter bits than the elevator pitch, and our student innovators need to be prepared to provide compelling pitches fewer than 50 words. This paper covers rules of disclosure; how to teach students to introduce themselves (and their ideas) on Twitter or Facebook; and, how to contribute to online conversations about their ideas.