Begnadigung. That’s German for reprieve… well, close enough for us. And that’s what we’re giving all the lollygaggers, procrastinators and last-minute decision-makers. We extended the deadline to apply for Startup Battlefield at Disrupt Berlin 2018 on November 29-30. Yup, you now have until August 27 at 9 p.m. PST to submit your application. But why wait any longer — apply right here, today.
If you’re an early-stage startup founder with dreams of building a company to rival the likes of Dropbox, Mint or Yammer, then our premier startup pitch competition was designed for you. We should know because the founders of those companies — and more than 750 others — launched to fame and fortune from the Startup Battlefield stage and have gone on to collectively raise $8 billion dollars and generate 102 exits.
Here’s what you need to know about competing in Startup Battlefield at Disrupt Berlin 2018.
First, TechCrunch editors, who clearly have a flair for identifying high-potential startups, review every application. Our acceptance rate is typically 3 percent, making this event highly curated and competitive. We’ll choose up to 15 startups to participate.
Startup Battlefield takes place in front of a live audience — thousands of people, including investors, journalists and influential technologists. Each team gets just six minutes to present a live demo to an expert panel of investors and entrepreneurs. Following each pitch, the judges get six minutes to put each team through an intensive Q& A.
Approximately five teams move to the semi-finals and endure another round of pitching and inquisition. And then only one team will emerge victorious, hoist the Disrupt Cup and take home the $50,000 equity-free cash prize.
If that sounds nerve-wracking, well, it is. But the good news is that TechCrunch editors provide all team founders with free pitch coaching before they ever step onstage. You’ll be ready to handle anything the judges throw your way.
And win or lose, all Startup Battlefield teams benefit from broad investor and media exposure. Plus, we live-stream the entire Startup Battlefield competition to a global audience on TechCrunch.com, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter (and make it available later, on-demand).
This is a prime opportunity to place your early-stage startup in front of Europe’s top tech investors, and you’ll never know if you have what it takes to win it all if you don’t apply.
Startup Battlefield takes place at Disrupt Berlin 2018 on November 29-30. The new application deadline is August 27 at 9 p.m. PST. Take advantage of your begnadigung and apply right now.