Got a game-changing business or product idea?  Ready to launch your side hustle? Let’s get started!

Enter the Leopards Lair and embark on an entrepreneurial quest that may very well define your future.

Watch our  online training material for some guidance

Entries: 20 May – 23 June

Win cash rewards and additional resources to develop your idea into a business while connecting with like-minded entrepreneurs.

LEOPARDS’ LAIR 2024

Rules

1. Only registered students of NWU may participate.
2. Teams may consist of 1-3 members, but only one team member may present/pitch.
3. All team members must be under the age of 35 on the day of the event.
4. No late submissions will be accepted.
5. English will be the language of communication and any submissions in other languages will automatically be disqualified.
6. Participants may not pass off any third party’s trade-marks, logos, patented technologies or copyrighted materials as their own. They may use it in limited fashion, where necessary, to serve as example or reinforce your point, but only with due recognition of the owner.
7. Obscene, provocative, misleading, harassing, libelous, defamatory, vulgar, scandalous, or otherwise objectionable content, in the opinion of the judges or organisers, or materials not in keeping with the NWU corporate image, will not be considered, and will be disqualified.
8. All participants shall agree to their names and photographs being used for publicity purposes by the NWU during and after the competition.
9. Participants must protect their own intellectual property, or not disclose proprietary details, during the pitching.  Judges and organisers will not enter into Non-Disclosure agreements.
10. Judges’ decisions are final, and no appeals will be entertained.
11. A pitch deck of maximum 15 slides is required, in PowerPoint format, for display during your pitch.
12. A Pitch may not exceed 5 minutes.
13. Contestants should expect up to 3 minutes of questions by judges.
14. Your pitch deck must cover at least the following aspects:
    • Introduction of yourself and team.
    • Business problem and idea for solution;
    • IP protection plans;
    • Competitors & competitive advantage;
    • Market size;
    • Revenue streams and business model
    • Funding required and application thereof.
    • Contact details
15. Prizes will be determined and announced by the organisers and may change in the run-up to the event. Prizes and their values will be communicated to registered participants from time to time, and the final values will be announced a day before the event.