Anyone with even a tangential relationship to the European tech startup scene knows that Startup Battlefield is one of the most effective launching pads for early-stage startups. All the pitch-competition drama and excitement goes down at Disrupt Berlin 2018 on November 29-30. If you want to spotlight your startup in front of the continent’s brightest innovators, investors and influencers, you have only one week left to submit your application — right here.
Last year at Disrupt Berlin 2017, Lia Diagnostics — makers of the first flushable pregnancy test — won the Startup Battlefield and walked away with the Disrupt Cup, the $50,000 grand prize and an incredible amount of media coverage and investor interest. Could 2018 be your year?
Here’s what you need to know about competing in Startup Battlefield.
Our TechCrunch editors, steeped in the ways of identifying hot prospects since 2007, will review every application and select approximately 15 early-stage startups. Our acceptance rate typically hovers around three percent.
Participating founders receive free pitch coaching — again, from our Battlefield-tested editors — and they’ll be thoroughly prepped to step onto the TechCrunch Main Stage. That’s when the fun really starts. Teams have just six minutes to present a live demo to a distinguished panel of investors and entrepreneurs. Following each pitch, the judges have six minutes to grill the team with probing questions. That pitch coaching will come in handy, you betcha!
Only five teams move on to pitch a second time to a new panel of judges, and — after much discussion, conferring of notes and maybe an arm wrestle or two — the judges will choose one Startup Battlefield champion.
The entire competition takes place in front of a live audience — filled with thousands of people, including potential investors and customers. And plenty of media outlets, of course. Plus, we live-stream Startup Battlefield to a global audience (and make it available later, on-demand) on TechCrunch.com, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
That kind of exposure carries long-term benefits for all participating startups — not just the winner. It even has the potential to be life-changing.
And, because TechCrunch doesn’t charge any application or participation fees and we don’t take any equity from startups, you literally have nothing to lose by applying. Worse-case scenario: you don’t get to compete. Best-case scenario: your startup grows into the next unicorn. Hey, it could happen.
Startup Battlefield takes place at Disrupt Berlin 2018 on November 29-30. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce your startup to influencers across Europe and beyond. You have one week left before the application window closes. Apply to compete in Startup Battlefield today.
Source: TechCrunch
