sTARTUp Pitching 2023 is coming again with a prize pool of over €350k!
We are calling all startups to apply for the sTARTUp Pitching competition. Apply before 5 February 2023 to compete for prizes worth over 350,000 euros and present your startup in front of 4000 attendees of the most startup-minded business festival – sTARTUp Day 2023!
sTARTUp Day would not be sTARTUp Day without our traditional pitching contest. Over seven years, sTARTUp Pitching has grown in scale together with the festival – in 2022, we broke yet another record with 380 applicants from 47 countries. Here are some good reasons to join in the game.
A prize pool of over €350k from our partners
Estonian Business Angels Network (EstBAN) is putting together an angel syndicate to invest up to €200k in the most investable startup team from sTARTUp Day 2023 deal flow. The syndicate will be led by two seasoned angel investors - Martin Goroško and Mait Sooaru. EstBAN syndicates have invested €3.6M into awesome startup companies during the past few years. From their portfolio, you can find skyrocketing teams like VSight, Jeff App, Fractory, TranslateWise, ATOM Mobility, Adact, Nanordica Medical and numerous others.
.Cocoon Ventures will award one startup with a syndicate investment of up to €100k. .Cocoon Ventures, which grew out of .Contriber Ventures, in 2020, invests in outstanding founders interested in self-hacking and looking at entrepreneurship as a way for self-development. Last year, they invested €100 000 in Longenesis to support the founders’ personal and business growth.
In addition, Swedbank will give €10k equity-free cash to one of the teams to fund their growth. Additional prizes will be provided by our partner organizations.
But that’s not all!
The Top 40 startups can showcase their startup in front of 4000 attendees of the biggest business festival in the Baltics. Connect to potential investors, customers, partners, employees, and fans during the event and make the best use of the networking opportunities provided!
The top 40 startups will receive one free startup ticket to the festival. All applicants can purchase tickets on discount terms.
Who should apply?
The competition is open to startups globally. We are looking for early-stage to scale-up startups who are looking to raise funds. Preferred applicants have a strong mission and a scalable business model. Your startup should have a functioning product with some traction, a strong team, and be ready for an investment.
Anu Oks, Managing Director of EstBAN: "EstBAN is giving out the syndicated investment for one team. We are looking for a Team with the capital T – devoted, coachable and ambitious, but up for the hard work that lies ahead.
The world needs great teams to work on solutions to survive this ongoing crisis and overcome what's ahead – it's now the time to invest in solutions with great impact that will change the world.
The lead investors will be working as a team and will be looking to find the best business case with an ambition to go global."
Aleksander Tõnnisson, investor and lead partner at .Cocoon Ventures. “Our main goal is to support startup founders who are interested in self-development. Therefore our investment includes both financial investment and participation in a year-long self-development and mentorship program .Cocoon.”
How does it work?
Here are the important steps and dates to keep in mind:
- Submit your application online. You can complete the application in 15 minutes here. You can save the application at any moment during the process and continue later. The deadline is 5 February 2023. (We advise you not to leave the application at the last minute – start now, and you can update your profile any time before the deadline.)
- Show your best in the online pre-finals. The Top 40 teams will pitch in online pre-finals on 13-16 February. This is a great chance to get visibility for your startup and practice before stepping on the festival stage.
- Conquer the sTARTUp Day 2023 stage on 16-17 March 2023. The Top 40 teams will pitch their idea on the festival pitching stage on the first festival day. The Top 5 teams will get to pitch again in the finale of the festival, after which all winners will be announced.
Are you ready for a challenge that will lift your startup to the next heights?
Read more about sTARTUp Pitching here and hit “Apply now” to fill in your application.
Calling All Startups: Apply Now for sTARTUp Pitching 2025!
