Pitch your startup with TechCrunch at FOWA in London
by Mike Butcher
on September 24, 2008

TechCrunch UK is going to run a “Techcrunch Pitch!” contest for startups at the upcoming Future of Web Apps conference in London, and you’re invited. All you need to do is submit an entry, and we will choose the best three to come up on the stage at FOWA and pitch to an “American Idol” style panel consisting of Mike Butcher (Techcrunch UK), Ryan Carson (Carsonified), Kevin Rose (Digg) and a mystery guest, yet to be announced. The winner will get written about on TechCrunch. If you don’t have a company to pitch but want to come anyway, TechCrunch readers can get 15% off the event ticket using this promo code: “F0WA-tc”

So here’s how Techcrunch Pitch! @ FOWA will work:

You’ll need to shoot a 60 second video pitch and upload it to YouTube so that it appears on Techcrunch Elevator Pitches. In the video, tell us what your company does and how you plan to make money. Imagine you’re in an elevator and have only one chance to convince a potential backer that you deserve a follow-up meeting. Be sure to focus on your company’s big picture while avoiding too much detail about particular products. Please do not include any editing or graphic overlays – just a straight pitch from beginning to end. When you upload the video to YouTube, tag it with “tcpitch”, and then enter its information into our submission form. The deadline for submission is close of play Friday 3rd October.

When you’ve done all that, come back to this particular post on TechCrunch UK and leave a comment with a link to your pitch on Techcrunch Elevator Pitches so that we know who applied. All clear? Ok, go.

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  • http://www.scottmallinson.com Scott Mallinson

    Is the mystery guest going to be Mark Zuckerberg by any chance?

  • http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/24/pitch-your-startup-to-techcrunch-at-fowa-in-london/ Pitch your startup to TechCrunch at FOWA in London

    [...] The rest of these crucial instructions appear on TechCrunch UK, so please go there… techcrunch508:http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/24/pitch-your-startup-to-techcrunch-at-fowa-in-london/ Previous Post Leave a ReplyClick here to cancel your reply. [...]

  • http://www.veedow.com Fabio

    Mike, what is the deadline for submission?

  • http://twitter.com/mikebutcher Mike Butcher

    The deadline for submission is close of play Friday 3rd October.

  • http://www.veedow.com Fabio

    Cheers

  • anon

    What do you get if you win?

  • http://www.erepublik.com alexis bonte

    Mike, we already have a pitch in Techcrunch Elevator Pitches:

    http://pitches.techcrunch.com/pitch/54-erepublik

    Do we need to do a new one to apply?

  • http://enjoble.com Berislav Lopac

    Scott beat me to it. And I won’t tell you who told me two days ago that Zuck will be there. :P

  • http://hits.sg/?p=129 Hits Singapore » Blog Archive » Pitch your startup to TechCrunch at FOWA in London

    [...] The rest of these crucial instructions appear on TechCrunch UK, so please go there… [...]

  • infolock

    so, yeah… are you guys paying for airfare and all that for the people you choose? or are they going to pay their own way?

  • http://www.feedza.com FeedZa

    I’m working on my elevator pitch today… Hopefully I’ll have something up by tomorrow. Thanks.

  • http://www.paloalto.co.uk Business Plan Pro

    For anyone looking for help with their business plan pitches we have plenty of articles, tips and advice available at: http://articles.bplans.co.uk/index.php/business-articles/financing-a-business/delivering-a-winning-business-plan-pitch/

    Good luck with the pitch – hope to see you at the London event. Alan

  • http://twitter.com/mikebutcher Mike Butcher

    infolock – Good question. No we’re not paying your airfare/costs. Hopefully the press you’ll get (from TechCrunch etc) from being selected to pitch to this panel – and possibly winning – is recompense enough, but that’s up to you, obviously. Good luck :-)

  • http://twitter.com/mikebutcher Mike Butcher

    alexis bonte – no, if that’s you’re entry, then that’s fine.

  • Chris

    Mike – Do they have to be “unlaunched” startups or will you also consider UK startups already launched but just starting down the road to making money ?

  • http://twitter.com/mikebutcher Mike Butcher

    Chris – Anything, just go for it.

  • http://www.iinclude.com iinclude.com

    @Mike: From your replies above just want to clarify that a non-existent start-up can apply. Mine is very much a concept that has been undergoing mainly research in to its business model.

  • http://twitter.com/mikebutcher Mike Butcher

    iinclude.com – Dude – If I were you I’d do a video pitch – frankly you never know……

  • http://www.erepublik.com alexis bonte
  • http://blueandpink.com Cuan

    Mike,
    How far out from a proto-type is too far ? 3/4 months ? to consider Pitching ?

  • http://uk.techcrunch.com/2008/09/29/dropsend-sold-but-how-easy-is-it-to-flip-a-web-app-these-days/ DropSend sold – but how easy is it to flip a web app these days?

    [...] UK – and I have had philosophical differences in the past. Hell, we’re going to be on a panel at FOWA together. But I actually agree with his view that web developers can take an alternative route to [...]

  • http://twitter.com/mikebutcher Mike Butcher

    Cuan – I cannot believe how people ask all these questions :-) . I just wish people would do a video and post it. Frankly, no-one knows. For all I know a great idea pitched at FOWA with nothing to show may end up being THE NEXT BIG THING. That’s the fun part about all this.

  • http://www.learnitlists.com Nicola Robinsonova

    Here’s ours:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K38LbE0D8k0

    We got rejected from pitches.techcrunch.com because of sound quality (birds singing, etc.)

    Can we still enter for FOWA with this video? Or must I redo it without the birds?

    Thanks!

  • redeye

    I’d just like to clarify that if I ask too many questions I may get someone accusing me of being an idiot?

    Anyway here’s our pitch, it;s taken us years to get this far and we think that our product is absolutely disruptive – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJTnhiLGbqc

  • http://catchupz.com Carlo

    Hi Everyone,
    Working to create the actual prototype! Any feedback will be more than welcome!

    Carlo

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lvrEyXG8NA

  • http://twitter.com/mikebutcher Mike Butcher

    Hello people – I know I said the deadline for submissions was Friday but we actually need them a bit sooner, so paste a link to a 1min video here by tonight (doesn’t have to be on TC pitch site, YouTube will do) and we’ll take a look. thanks!

  • http://ollieparsley.com Ollie Parsley

    Mike,

    As you suggested, just the YouTube link to my Twit Invite pitch. I will add another comment when it is added to the TechCrunch pitch site.

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1t0lkKwodV8

    Thanks

    Ollie

  • http://buzzpal.com Chris Comella

    Hi Mike,

    Here’s my 1-minute:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni8W8C1zNvc

    I was planning to re-shoot in time for the Friday deadline but I see you need these tonight.

    Cheers,
    Chris

  • http://buzzpal.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/back-from-busy-week-in-london/ Back From Busy Week in London « The BuzzPal Blog

    [...] (met in Amsterdam — pic here) and Mark Zuckerberg (not yet met and partied with) are going to pick three to come up on the stage at FOWA and pitch to an “American Idol” style panel consisting. That would be awesome fun (and good to help get [...]

  • http://www.gameweaver.com Chris Davis

    Hi, here’s my pitch for my start-up called GameWeaver : http://pitches.techcrunch.com/pitch/146-gameweaver

    Thanks

    Chris

  • http://buzzpal.com Chris Comella

    Here’s the BuzzPal pitch:
    http://pitches.techcrunch.com/pitch/153-buzzpal-the-world-is-your-party-

    (yes, with the hyphen on the end of the URL)

  • http://phonefromhere.com Tim Panton

    Here’s PhoneFromHere.com’s elevator pitch

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EngX0tSjwDA

  • http://www.templatesbynumbers.com Andrew Moran

    Hi Mike,

    Here’s my pitch for my furniture template design web app.
    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YKV9ORSfRww

    Cheers
    Andrew

  • http://www.veedow.com Fabio De Bernardi

    Mike, here is Veedow’s pitch.

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pxMrrxQc9X8

  • http://www.feedza.com Chris Osborne
  • http://www.filemask.com steve Cochrane

    Hi Mike,
    as you moved the date forward, does that mean that any pitches uploaded today won’t be considered?

    cheers,
    Steve.

  • http://nsyght.com Geoffrey McCaleb

    Hi Mike. Here is my elevator pitch for Nsyght.com.

    Thanks for pulling this together

    Geoffrey

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QwSeA5DnX2I

  • http://twitter.com/mikebutcher Mike Butcher

    steve Cochrane – apologies for the rush, but please just have a crack at getting it in this morning. It’s only a 1 minute pitch to a web camera after-all – we are not looking for Citizen Kane here…

  • http://www.channelflip.com Wil Harris
  • http://www.filemask.com steve Cochrane

    aye will do :D

  • http://www.theiplatform.com Josh March

    Here’s the pitch from the iPlatform team:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUlBrWlkeHI

    Josh

  • http://www.myehive.com QueenBee
  • http://www.filemask.com steve Cochrane

    better late than never…
    the submission from the filemask guys.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha3SAovUS0Q

    good luck to all.

  • http://www.localmouth.com Matt Collins

    Hi Mike,

    Thanks for organising this.

    Here’s the pitch for Localmouth:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYuMYlp0m2Q

  • http://www.emailcenterpro.com Email Center Pro

    Hi Mike

    Had planned on doing a video tomorrow – just posting an old one now given new deadline.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgdlCQOvRIM

  • http://www.emailcenterpro.com Email Center Pro

    Mike- here is a proper pitch -you can disregard the one posted at 3.45PM -

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wB3IjmhVoyM

    thanks Alan

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENTGX3QZeFE Davendra Patel

    just noticed your post! Here is our pitch!

  • http://www.igopeople.com Campbell Scott

    Here we go -

    IGOpeople – a network for society

    http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=8xLIb-Y9jRw

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENTGX3QZeFE Jason Grimmitt
  • supervivi

    Hi Mike,

    why the sudden change of deadline? (how about updating the original post?)

  • http://www.routeyou.com RouteYou

    I hope we’re not too late. We didn’t see the change of deadline …

    Anyway, here it is : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCOl-eArqyU

  • http://x.x OnlinePopstar

    OnlinePopstar – Where the X-Factor meets Karaoke Revolution…

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=49aSrGom16I

    Hope we’re in time!

  • http://friendbinder.com Richard Cunningham

    Hope it’s not too late, didn’t see the deadline change till just now.

    Friendbinder.com – social network aggregator

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHmNMkBHnog

  • http://ifoods.tv Sean Fee

    Hi Mike,

    Sorry for posting this so late but I didn’t see your updated deadline til this morning. I hope it’s ok to still go into the hat?

    Cheers,

    Sean

    http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=CG9PFOYI7Zs

  • http://www.icard-app.com Matt Brooke-Smith

    iCard is THE way to exchange electronic business cards.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZeZOWq95E8

    Matt & Dan

  • http://www.emailcenterpro.com Email Center Pro

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGoVpVdFxGc

    Hi Mike

    We had already submitted an entry (by Alan above) but here is the official version.

    Jason

  • http://www.thenextwomen.com simone brummelhuis

    Aarch, where is the video camera? I hope I can pitch my online business magazine for female internet heroes, http://www.thenextwomen.com, by submitting a great interview of SHE TV; it’s thenextwomen in the format of a tv programme:
    http://www.blueshots.tv/Programmas/Programma.aspx?p=1
    Also, in Dutch very good pitch about thenextwomen on Dutch radio (i am happy to translate it later!!), it starts 20.06 and a little bit, you hear me:
    http://www.bnr.nl/static/jspx/play.jspx?datum=02/10/2008&tijd=20:06:00&lengte=15&titel=Titel

  • http://www.toksta.com Felix Fidelsberger

    toksta.com – white label video instant messenger for social networks

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e373p48zRG0

  • http://enjoble.com Berislav Lopac
  • http://www.toksta.com Felix Fidelsberger

    toksta – white label video instant messenger for communities

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e373p48zRG0

  • http://www.alexisbonte.com/?p=28 Going to FOWA and how every small thing counts | Alexis Bonte

    [...] early last week TechCrunch UK announced that there was going to be a pitch competition at FOWA London (that I had already planned to attend) and that all you needed to do was submit a 60 [...]

  • http://www.worldeka.com Charlie Cox

    Hi Mike,

    Did submit this to the techcrunch elevator pitch homepage but Sophie says I should have stuck it here – sorry!

    Anyway here’s our elevator pitch for worldeka.com

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-ftOvOx1KM

    Many thanks C & S

  • http://www.idesktop.tv Davendra Patel
  • http://www.bookingbug.com Glenn Shoosmith

    Submitted on Friday to main site but have been told to stick it here as well!

    bookingbug.com elevator pitch

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8tesGNKlrM

  • http://www.feedza.com Chris Osborne

    So no word on what companies made it through, Mike?

    Got to admit, quite surprised how unprofessional this competition was run. First you change the deadline date, then not a word to all the people that submitted an entry.

  • http://twitter.com/mikebutcher Mike Butcher

    Chris Osborne – We wanted to give everyone a chance to get their entries in. The companies who will be pitching have now been selected to pitch (and contacted) and their names will be revealed at FOWA. Thanks to everyone for going to the effort of making a video. The smart thing to do now is go register on CrunchBase.com and add the pitch video to your company profile, so if/when we write about you, it’s all there.

  • http://www.gameweaver.com Chris Davis

    Doh! I didn’t get picked, oh well, never mind :-)

    http://pitches.techcrunch.com/pitch/146-gameweaver

  • http://sprain.ch/blog/2008/10/09/fowa-roundup-day-1/ [FOWA]: Roundup Day 1 | sprain’s

    [...] great to watch were the five pitches of the “winners” of Techcrunch UK elevator pitch. Textbased online strategy game ERepublik convinced the jury the most and outran RaffleIt, [...]

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