Apply to launch on the Festival Stage.
DEADLINE: March 13, 2017
Unbiased Competition
LAUNCH Festival prides itself on having a fair competition.
Jason Calacanis, LAUNCH founder & the most active angel investor in the world, does not select the winners; although, he does typically end up investing in 15 of the startups from the Festival each year.
Thirty startups compete from four pools: founders with a new product (1.0 competition),
the LAUNCH Incubator, the Startup Summits and DEMO pit.
Alumni
Rules & Requirements
LAUNCH 1.0
- LAUNCH your company on stage for the first time ever.
- No screenshots, no press, no social media, no AngelList profile, no nothing! You are hidden and people see your product for the first time on stage. You don't pre-brief the press, you don't do a demo day before the Festival. You're on lockdown!
- Companies accepted into 1.0 must have their websites behind a LaunchRock (or equivalent) with no product shots or videos on their site. You may have company name, logo, and a box to collect emails.
- Any press or pre-briefs will disqualify you from the competition.
LAUNCH Incubator
- Eight companies from the LAUNCH Incubator will be presenting on stage at the Festival.
- These are NOT part of LAUNCH 1.0 or LAUNCH 2.0 competitions.
- One of these 8 companies will win an award for "Best Incubator Startup."
Startup Summit
- Twelve companies will be chosen from the Startup Summits to present on the Festival stage.
- One of these 12 startups will win an award for "Best Summit Startup."
Judging
- Each panel will be comprised of 4-6 judges, all high-level experts across diverse disciplines within technology and entrepreneurship.
- Current LAUNCH Fund companies are NOT eligible to win the top prizes of the LAUNCH 1.0 or LAUNCH 2.0 competitions. (Note: The LAUNCH Fund often invests in the winning companies, after the event.)