Gain valuable feedback on your startup's business plan from a judging panel of 20+ early stage investors. Compete for a one-in-a-lifetime meeting with Sequoia's Micheal Moritz, legendary venture capitalist. Meet people like yourself -- entrepreneurs with big ideas and dreams at Pitch Night when the top 5 startups pitch LIVE for first prize.



DEADLINE TO APPLY IS APRIL 10, 2009 -- Are you next? Pitch 2009 can get you started by giving you a chance to PITCH. Our goal is to encourage entrepreneurial women to launch startups and, with feedback from the judging panel of investors and experienced executives, take their businesses to the next level.

More details at: pitch.women2.org



What do you need?

1.) One female founder, yes the rest can be male
2.) A great idea with a prototype (alpha or beta)
3.) Just a few minutes to apply with a paper napkin, online form and quick video pitch!




LET'S BREAK IT DOWN:

HUNDREDS of submissions will receive valuable feedback from the judging panel of investors and experienced startup executives.

FIVE startups will be chosen to pitch live on Pitch Night (May 7th, 2009).

ONE winning startup gets a meeting with Michael Moritz (Sequoia Capital) in addition to a host of startup-friendly services. Previous years’ prizes were meetings with Tim Draper (Draper Fisher Jurvetson) and Esther Dyson (investor in companies such as Flickr, del.icio.us, and 23andMe).

More details at: pitch.women2.org


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What do Disney, Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft have in common? These iconic American companies all had their beginnings during tough economic times. Despite the downturn in the economy, many entrepreneurs and VCs are saying that now is a great time to start a company.

"A recession is the best time to start a company. The opportunity cost is low, hiring good people is relatively easy, rent and equipment are cheap (sometimes free) and established competitors are focused on reducing costs & staying in business, not on innovation. The key is being in a good position when the economy picks back up."

- Rebecca Lynn
Principal, Morgenthaler Ventures

"Some of the best products and services come out of some of the worst times. In the early 1990s, tens of millions of dollars had gone down the drain in a futile effort to develop 'pen computing' (early phase of mobile computing) and a recession was shriveling the economic outlook."

- Chris Shipley
Executive Producer, Demo; Co-Founder/Chairman, Guidewire Group

"Pitch was the best thing to happen to Koollage. I met the right people to help me take my startupto the next level."

- Mythili Sankaran
Founder and CEO, Koollage; PITCH 2008, Winner