APPLICATION TO PITCH

Why should you apply to pitch?

The winners get to present at a regularly scheduled Tech Coast Angels screening session with special attendance by the competition’s judges, the Pasadena Angels, and the Tech Coast Angels’ venture capital affiliates.

And if you don't win or even if you don't get chosen, merely by applying you show your message to the Tech Coast Angels, Southern California’s #1 source of early-stage capital. Since the group's founding in 1997, members have invested over $94 million of their personal capital in 142 early-stage ventures, coupled with $994 million from co-investors.  Almost 300 individual TCA investors in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara/Westlake and the Inland Empire, mentor and coach the entrepreneurs they fund, serve on their boards, provide them contacts and assist with team building, strategic planning and subsequent fund raising. Most of the leading VC firms with offices in the Tech Coast area are VC Affiliate members of Tech Coast Angels.

Pitching also gets you in front of an audience that'll include venture capital firms, other angel groups, and influential opinion-leaders in Southern California, such as investment bankers, accounting firms, law firms, banks and executive recruiters.

Do you qualify? This competition is open to all entrepreneurs who seek investors. It is not limited to companies that are pre-revenue or that are in the information technology or life sciences industries. In addition to investing in companies in these two sectors, we have invested in many others, including consumer branded products, food, beverage and services. Our primary concern is to find investment opportunities that promise quick, significant growth in shareholder value and  plausible exit strategy for liquidty.

Application submission is now closed for this event.

Not sure it's for you? Read here our suggestions for delivering great pitches, including the pitches by the winners of our previous fast pitch competitions. 

Application and selection rules/process:

Step 1 – Please fill out the online application

Step 2 – You will be contacted by Tech Coast Angels with a confirmation that you have been approved and invited to attend the Tryout/Coaching Sessions.

Step 3 – You MUST attend one of the first two Preliminary Tryout/Coaching Sessions on either Monday, April 14, 2008 (9:00 AM) or Thursday, April 17, 2008 (2:00 PM) at Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth (660 Newport Center Drive; Newport Beach, CA 92660)

Step 4 – The Entrepreneur Presenters who qualify at the PRELIMINARY Tryout/Coaching Sessions will be selected for the FINAL Tryout/Coaching Sessions. The Final Tryout/Coaching Sessions will be on Monday, April 21, 2008 (9:00 AM), Wednesday, April 23, 2008 (3:00 PM), and Monday, April 28, 2008 (8:00 AM).

You only need to attend 1 session, but you may come to all three – if you qualify for the finals. At the finals of the Tryout/Coaching Sessions, you will be graded each time you present and the Coaches will take your highest grade (if you tryout multiple times) for selection of the final 12. Selection of pitches is at our sole discretion.

You must submit online the application on this page; no postal mail, faxes or emails. Also, we do not consider that you have submitted an application when you communicate directly with the competition’s judges, the competition’s organizing committee or members at large of the Tech Coast Angels.  

It's free to submit an application but you must be registered to attend the competition. Registration gives you full access to the entire event program. 

Judging and winning

Pitches must be under 60 seconds, including any self-introductions and remarks. On the 61^st second, pitches in progress WILL BE CUT OFF by turning off the microphone.

The competition's judges will score each pitch immediately after it ends.

Scoring is on a 1-10 scale (1=lowest, 10=highest) for each of two criteria: funding opportunity and presentation quality. There are four winners, each with the highest combined score for Best Funding Opportunity, Best Presentation Quality, Best of Best,and the Audience Pick(which can duplicate one of the other three).  Each of the 4 winners will automatically be invited to a Full Screening by the Tech Coast Angels to present their company in a detailed discussion for potential Angel Funding. After recording the scores, judges may ask questions and make comments. Entrepreneurs are allowed brief answers.

Judges are asked to:

• Suggest improvements candidly but phrasing criticism constructively.
• Cut in with next their comment (or the moderator will!) if a presenter rambles.
• Be concise and considerate of the other judges.
• Publicly disagree with other judges in the interest of healthy controversy…as long as it doesn’t become a Jerry Springer show.