HATCH is a pitch competition for revolutionary startups. We will select 12 finalists to present their business plans to a panel of corporate, angel, and venture investor judges in front of a well-connected audience at SXSW on March 10th, 2013 in Austin, TX.
Program Highlights
- Pitch at SXSW – Finalists will have approximately 4 minutes to pitch their revolutionary startup to a panel of experts and an influential audience. They will also field probing questions from judges on their product, market, business model, and more.
- Coaching – An experienced coach will provide one-on-one mentoring to selected participants prior to SXSW, assisting finalists in preparing for the competition.
- Education – Each finalist will receive access to online education to assist them in hatching their business plans and ensuring the best possible presentation at SXSW.
Key Dates and Milestones
- February 4, 2013 at 11:59 PM Pacific – Application Period Closes
- Mid February – Finalists Selected
- Mid February – One-on-one coaching begins
- March 10, 2013 – Pitch competition at SXSW in Austin, TX
Reasons To Apply
- Focused exposure to investors and industry leaders as part of the judging & coaching process.
- Exposure to the tech savvy SXSW audience at an official SXSW event.
- Photo and interview opportunities with the attending press.
- Outstanding prizes.
How To Apply
Complete and submit the online application prior to this year’s submission deadline.
The information in your Application is not published on the HATCH web site.
Evaluation Criteria
Judges will be evaluating HATCH candidates and finalists on:
- How revolutionary is the idea? What impact will it make on the world?
- What’s the product? What problem does it solve and for whom?
- What’s the market?
- What’s great about the startup founders and team?
- How scalable is the product? How will the business make money (or non-profit sustain itself)?
- Judge’s own criteria for making investments.
Eligibility Requirements
In order to compete in HATCH, finalists must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- A company’s product / service must have launched no earlier than January 1, 2011.
- A company’s product / service must not be launched after June 30, 2013.
- Companies will be allowed to submit only one product / service to HATCH. Companies who submit more than one product / service will not be eligible to participate.
- Founders of the applying startup must retain some portion of ownership in the company to be eligible to participate.
- Must not have raised over two million in funds from combined funding sources.
- The presenter must actively participate in the educational and coaching components of HATCH.
- Each startup is to be represented by two individuals who have SXSW Interactive, Gold, or Platinum badges and are in attendance at check-in time on March 10, 2013 at the event venue in Austin, TX. At the designated time, one person will present the startup while the other person will operate the accompanying pitch deck.
- Present their pitch using the official software and laptop(s) designated by HATCH.
- Sign any necessary video or similar releases that may be made available.