One of the learning curves that an entrepreneur endures is achieving a level of comfort in pitching your idea to a room full of devil’s advocates. Yes, it sounds brutal, and no wonder that there are now shows such as Shark Tank (US) and Dragons’ Den (UK) that banks on the entertainment value of watching eager entrepreneurs walk into a ring of fire.

When people ask me what I would have done differently in starting iCreate there’s usually not enough time in the day to share, but one that tops the list is applying for every opportunity to pitch — just to practice, practice, practice!

I’m now on the Advisory Board for SXSW V2Venture 2014, particularly focused on the education sector, and am tasked with finding and encouraging early stage companies to apply! The deadline is fast approaching (April 11th, 2014), so I’ve highlighted the details below and encourage anyone with a startup product/company in education to enter. Even if it’s just for the practice!

The event takes place on July 15-16, 2014 as a part of the SXSW V2V Event, during which you can improve your product launch, attract venture capitalists, polish your elevator pitch, receive media exposure, build brand awareness, network, socialize and experience all that SXSW V2V has to offer.

Deadline:

April 11, 2014

Launch date eligibility requirements:

– Product / service must have launched no earlier than July 16, 2013.
– Product / service must not be launched after October 16, 2014.
– Submit only one product / service to the SXSW V2Venture.
– Founders of the applying startup must retain some portion of ownership in the company to be eligible to participate.
– Must not have raised over five million in funds from combined funding sources.
– Product / service must fall within one of the following V2Venture Categories.
– Cannot have presented in any of the following events: SXSW Accelerator, SXSW ECO Startup Showcase or LAUNCHedu pitch events.

Application Fee

A non-refundable $100 entry fee is required.

Applicants must be within one of the five categories:

1. Education Technologies

The Education Technology category highlights applications and technologies designed to make all forms of education more accessible to a wider range of people, and that bring students and teachers closer together.

2. Health and Wearable Technologies

The Health and Wearable Technologies category focuses on patient-centric health applications and technologies that connect patients, families, physicians, pharmacists, care providers (hospitals, clinics) and benefit providers to share timely, relevant health data and drive better outcomes at affordable and sustainable cost levels.

3. Mobile and Tablet Technologies

The Mobile and Tablet Technologies category encompasses mobile applications and technologies which allow users to connect by portable devices such as tablets, phones, and other connected devices.

4. Culture and Entertainment Technologies

The Culture and Entertainment category includes applications and technologies for music, gaming, film, television, and digital storytelling, as well as new and hybrid forms of entertainment that are reinventing the ways in which we relax, unwind, and have fun. This category could also contain technologies that focus on other cultural sectors, such as sports, fashion and food as they pertain to entertainment and non-health related wearable technologies.

5. Innovative World Technologies

The Innovative World Technologies category includes applications and technologies that have the ambition to change the world as we know it. Right now we’re seeing lots of innovation in green tech, real-time search, augmented reality, the World Wide Web, artificial intelligence and the Semantic Web, recommendations technologies, personalization technologies, enterprise, and “big data”.

To apply and find out more information, check out the SXSW V2V website here!