As part of the Sports, Tech, and Venture Summit, up to 7 Michigan-based startup founders may be accepted to compete for a chance to win $10,000 in non-dilutive funding! This industry agnostic pitch competition and the broader summit are great opportunities to connect with potential funders that can be great resources for Michigan’s founders.
The pitch application window has passed. Selected pitch contestants will be notified the week of 4/15 – 4/19.
ELIGIBILITY:
- Must be headquartered or have significant base of operations in the state of Michigan.
- Must have an established, full-time founding team, and must be a founder or co-founder.
- Preference will be given to companies with products in market and generating ARR.
- Committed to growing the business/team in the state of Michigan (does not exclude also growing out of state).
- Companies who have already raised $2 million or more in funding (excluding state or federal grants) are not eligible.
- Past winners (recipients of prize funding) of MFF-hosted Pitch Competitions are not eligible.
TIMELINE:
APPLICATIONS Open Now through 11:59 PM ET on Saturday, April 13th, 2024.
Now through April 16th: a selection committee will review the online applications and select up to 7 companies who will be invited to participate in the competition.
April 17th: all accepted founders/companies will be notified and provided details about the competition activities.
April 19th: SAVE THE DATE for a 3pm virtual kick-off call for accepted applicants to meet one another and learn more about what to expect leading up to the competition.
April 25th: Pitch Competition to be held at 1pm during the Sports, Tech, and Venture Summit in Detroit (6001 Cass Ave, Detroit, MI 48202, USA).
Pitch Format: 4 minutes to pitch, with 2 mins Q&A.
Pitches will be evaluated on:
- Business model and scalability
- Market fit and competitive advantage
- Team and execution capability
- Community impact
