NACO’s annual Pitch Competition celebrates dynamic early-stage companies that have demonstrated successful growth and whose outstanding achievements have made them some of Canada’s most promising startups. The 2015 Pitch Competition will take place in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, on Wednesday, October 7, during the 2015 National Angel Summit (October 6-8).
Up to 15 semi-finalists will be invited to attend the 2015 National Angel Summit and will vie to be one of the five (5) finalists to pitch on stage to over 300 Angel investors, venture capitalists and industry leaders. Each semi-finalist will receive complimentary registration at the Summit, and may qualify for reimbursement for travel and accommodation costs.
The winner will be selected by an expert panel of judges and audience voting and be crowned as NACO’s Most Promising Startup of the Year.
NACO is excited to announce that the deadline to submit promising, well deserving and growth-oriented companies for consideration for this year’s annual Pitch Competition being held during the 2015 National Angel Summit has been extended to AUGUST 14, 2015, 11:59 pm EST.
Eligibility Criteria
The companies submitted must meet the following criteria:
- Be registered and headquartered in Canada
- Be a promising, growth-oriented, young company in existence for less than 5 years
- Be follow-on investment ready and looking to raise a follow-on round
- Be submitted to the competition by a NACO member or industry partner in good standing who has invested and is investing in the company
- Have at least one product in-market with demonstrated traction, or be well established and poised for exponential growth
- Have demonstrated a business innovation that represents a breakthrough from conventional ideas or methods in its industry
Awards, Recognition and Benefits
The winner of the 2015 Pitch Competition will be recognized as NACO’s Most Promising Start-up of the Year and will receive an award, presented by KPMG Enterprise during the Gala Awards Ceremony on October 7.
Semi-finalists (up to 15 start-ups):
- Will receive complementary registration to attend the 2015 National Angel Summit in Niagara-on-the-Lake, October 2015, for up to two senior team members (one of which must be the CEO)
- Will have the opportunity to meet with investors from across North America and compete for their votes in order to be invited to pitch at the final stage of competition on October 7th
Finalists (up to 5 start-ups):
- Will be chosen by investors in attendance at the Summit through a voting process with input from our panel of judges
- Will be invited to present their investment opportunity (5 minute pitch, 5 minutes for Q&A) on stage to over 300 investors during the 2015 Pitch Competition on Thursday, October 7th starting at 2:00pm
- Will compete to be selected the winner of the 2015 Pitch Competition and be awarded the title of NACO’s Most Promising Startup of the Year Selection Process
Timelines
- July 22 to August 7 – Submissions accepted from NACO Angel group members and individual investors through the NACO online investor portal
- August 13 to August 26 – Companies evaluated and selected by an independent panel of expert judges
- August 26 to August 31 – Semi-finalists notified (recipients only)
