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How to Get Selected to Pitch

Each month, we receive many applications to pitch at Ultra Light Startups.  This page describes the process by which we select the 8 applicants to present.

The first step in getting selected to pitch is to review the Pitch Application Guidelines and complete the steps described.  If you don’t meet all the guidelines or don’t follow the application instructions completely, you’ll be removed from the pitch list (though feel free to re-apply again, when you do meet the requirements).

Here are some of the criteria we use to select the presenters each month:

Business Model
  • Does the application demonstrate a good description of the customer?  Be careful to distinguish between the customer (who pays) and the user (who may not pay).
  • What exactly is  the customer buying and how much they are paying for this product/service?  The answer to the pricing question is particularly important.  It should contain specific numbers and the background to justify these numbers.  Ideally, this answer also demonstrates some understanding of the pricing of competitive services.
  • Does the startup have existing paying customers?  If so, you are virtually guaranteed a slot to pitch.
Functional Technology
  • Can we see the technology in action on the site/app submitted?  The more we can see and use the better.
  • Does the site/app work correctly?  Are there excessive bugs/errors/blank pages?
  • Does the technology seem substantial and non-trivial? A WordPress blog, for example, generally is not enough.

Congruency of Founder’s Identity

  • Founders should use an email address that includes their real name and company name.
  • Founders should have a LinkedIn profile with relatively complete biographical information and relevant industry connections.
  • The startup’s website should have an ‘About Us’ page that lists the founders by name and their titles.  It’s best if they also contain some biographical information (make sure this matches their LinkedIn bio).
Participation in the Ultra Light Community
Preference is given to applicants who:
  • Attend Ultra Light events regularly.