PITCH YOUR IDEA TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE AT ONE OF DSW’S PITCH COMPETITIONS IN 2021
REGISTER TO ATTEND THE OCTOBER 6 FINALS, IN-PERSON OR VIA LIVESTREAM, HERE!
Is your startup going to be the next big thing? If you are ready to share your idea with not just Denver, but the WORLD, join the best and brightest of the entrepreneurial community in our sixth annual Pitch Competition. Check out our handbook here, and get started on your application here.
The sixth annual Denver Startup Week Pitch Competition, sponsored by VF Venture Foundry, will highlight and harness our city's entrepreneurial energy as part of the 10-year anniversary of Denver Startup Week. This year’s challenge takes the typical pitch competition and spins it on its head, inviting thousands of attendees at DSW to cast votes to determine the final six contenders. With a prize package consisting of cash, in-kind services and products, plus a brand-new special opportunity presented by VF Venture Foundry, this pitch competition will showcase some of the most innovative and creative startups at an event built by and for the community!
WHAT IS VF VENTURE FOUNDRY?
VF Venture Foundry is interested in ideas and approaches that meet broad-scale consumer needs, advance fast-growing technologies and create new and innovative business models. We’re looking for founders and entrepreneurially-minded leaders from diverse backgrounds who have the grit, creativity, and curiosity to ignite change and disrupt industries.
OUR OPPORTUNITY SPACES
- HEALTH & SELF: Enable consumers to decode their health, take a holistic approach to wellness, and harness the power of nature to improve outcomes.
- MARKETPLACES: Enable like-minded communities to live and consume according to their values by creating platforms for goods and services.
- SUSTAINABLE & CONSCIENTIOUS LIVING: Reduce consumption and provide the transparency consumers demand with models and services that enable informed, sustainable choices.
- VIRTUAL GOODS & EXPERIENCES: Monetize nonphysical goods and services, design new models to experience, and allow consumers to express and experiment with their virtual identity.
OUR OFFER
- One finalist will be considered for an Entrepreneur-in-Residence role that provides all the excitement and freedom of building an early-stage startup business, but with the stability and resources of a large organization to founders that are pitching in any of our four opportunity spaces.
ABOUT THE PITCH COMPETITION
The Denver Startup Week Pitch Competition offers you an opportunity to sell your big idea on a big stage. Submissions are entered by Denver startups looking for the opportunity to prove their idea’s worth, and each round of the competition will be judged by members of our community that have expertise in startup development, business, and growth. Be prepared to put your company's best foot forward, and go head to head with many other hungry entrepreneurs.
This year, all applicants must submit a 90-second video (maximum) about your company with your application. This video should convey your mission, inspiration, and team dynamic. This is your moment to shine, and to get the community excited about your company and pitch. Check out this video if you need some inspiration.
A committee of judges will narrow the applicants down to 18 semi-finalists. Anyone who is officially registered on the Denver Startup Week website can then vote for their favorite pitch. The final 6 winners of the Semi-final round will be selected to pitch in the Finals on October 6, Wednesday afternoon of Denver Startup Week.
Denver Startup Week is committed to keeping our community safe. With Denver Startup Week 2021 being a hybrid event, attendees will be able to watch the Finals either in-person or from the comfort of their homes. Startups that are selected to participate will pitch in-person to a limited live audience, a small group of judges and a camera.
Although only one company can win the final prize of each competition, the Denver Startup Week Pitch Competitions offer exposure to a global and diverse audience, an introduction to the world of venture capital and angel investment, as well as a chance to build relationships as you vet the framing of your ideas and dial your sales pitch.
If you have any questions, please reach out to info@denverstartupweek.org. Any Denver-area based startup with less than $2 million in outside investment is eligible to compete. To apply for the pitch, please tell us more about your idea here, and check out our handbook here.
BIPOC PITCH COMPETITION
Denver Startup Week is also thrilled to announce our 1st annual BIPOC Pitch Competition, taking place on October 5 from 6 - 8 PM. We encourage BIPOC entrepreneurs to present their business concept during this opportunity to a panel of judges for the opportunity to win a cash prize or investment capital, along with a spot in the main Pitch Finals on Wednesday, October 6. The BIPOC DSW Pitch Competition is open to all Denver Metro based for-profit companies and non-profit organizations. Find more information and apply online here: https://www.denverstartupweek.org/articles/513-calling-entrepreneurs-of-color-this-pitch-is-for-you
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
This year's Denver Startup Week Pitch Competition is sponsored by VF Venture Foundry:
Built with the backing of the world’s most iconic brands and the game-changing expertise shaped by 120+ years of business innovation.
We’re in the business of building new, disruptive business models in high-growth space. VF Venture Foundry will anticipate and meet the quickly evolving needs of consumers by creating new ways of engagement and transaction (services, experiences, marketplaces, platforms).
Furthermore, VF Venture Foundry will emphasize opportunities for high growth that advance VF’s purpose to power movements of sustainable and active lifestyles for the betterment of people and our planet.
Learn more about VF Venture Foundry here.
The Pitch Finals will be hosted at and live-streamed from DSW HW Presented by Amazon at the Denver Pavilions!
