The 29th Minneapolis Council Artificial Intelligence Hatmaker TechCrunch Conference is set to be held in March in the heart of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This conference will include Panel Discussions, Startup Pitch Competitions, and VC Pitching.
Startup Battlefield 200
The Startup Battlefield is a special program from TechCrunch that provides a way for early stage startups to exhibit at Disrupt. In addition to receiving a free exhibition space, startups can take advantage of special pitch training from TechCrunch staff. Applicants are also invited to exclusive workshops and masterclasses.
Startups must apply before July 31. After the deadline, applicants will be reviewed by industry experts and accepted or rejected. As a result, a hand-picked cohort of 20 companies will be chosen to exhibit at Disrupt. These startups will compete for a $100K equity-free prize. They will also receive private pitch coaching, techCrunch coverage, and a free year of TechCrunch+ membership.
Each cohort receives access to the full set of presentations at Disrupt. Startups have a chance to pitch to VCs, investors, and journalists. They will also be provided with VIP access to all Disrupt events. To apply, fill out the sponsorship form.
Finalists will receive private pitch coaching, techCrunch exposure, and a live onstage pitch at Disrupt. A $100,000 equity-free prize will be awarded to the winning startup.
Startup Pitch Competition
If you’re in the Minneapolis area in September, be sure to stop by TechCrunch Live. This free event is packed with entrepreneur, investor and tech expert presentations. You’ll also find the hottest startups competing for a prize pool of over $3,000. A total of 15 companies will compete for the honors of best category and best overall startup. The grand prize winner will receive the prestigious LEAP award. In addition, five winners will be crowned as the best in their categories.
A tech-heavy event, the Unicorn Pitch is a competition between startups looking to raise capital for growth. These pitch competitions are hosted by universities and corporations, like the University of New Orleans. Among the startups competing are Brave, a real estate investment platform, and Automatic, a resource for unlocking the human mind.
On top of its free event, the university also offers a variety of programs and services to help students and alumni become successful entrepreneurs. These include The Beach, a research and technology park that is home to 30 startup companies, and UNO Career Services.
VC Pitching
Minneapolis is home to several fintech companies. For instance, there are many startups offering credit card processing, mobile payments, and other solutions. The emergence of Minneapolis as a startup hotbed has been fueled by both local investors and entrepreneurs. And as the city grows, so too does its fintech sector.
To help celebrate the growing fintech sector in Minneapolis, TechCrunch Live recently held a special event that showcased the best of the best from the Twin Cities. Attendees got the opportunity to hear from local founders and investors, and even win a free ticket to TechCrunch Disrupt 2022! Among the winners was NXgenPort, a medical technology company that creates an implantable chemo port with remote connectivity. Their pitch was clear and concise, and their business model was impressive. During the event, the audience also heard from an entrepreneur who had been there, done that.
In addition to the live event, TechCrunch has produced a virtual version of the same. As part of this, they have selected three Minneapolis startups to compete for a free ticket to TechCrunch’s premier event. A panel of judges will evaluate each submission.
