TechCrunch Live is hosting a special event centered around Columbus, Ohio, and we’re looking for startups to compete for a spot in the Battlefield 200. The virtual event kicks off at 3:00pm Columbus time on June 1 and is designed to highlight the growing startup ecosystem emerging from the center of Ohio.
Register for the virtual event here, and apply for the pitch-off here.
The pitch-off application deadline was May 24, but we extended it another 48 hours and now closes on May 26. Selected companies get four minutes to present their company (with a pitch deck), and they’ll answer six minutes of questions from venture capitalists from Rise of the Rest Seed Fund at Revolution and Initialized Capital.
To qualify you need to:
- Be based in the greater Columbus, Ohio area
- Have an MVP
- Be pre-Series A
Agenda for TechCrunch Live in Columbus!
Columbus Unicorns with Olive and Drive Capital (3:00 pm EDT)
Olive is a homegrown Columbus unicorn; hear from the CEO and lead investor how the company was built and raised $856 million since its founding in 2012.
- Sean Lane, Olive CEO
- Chris Olsen, Drive Capital Founding Partner
Raising startup capital (3:30 pm EDT)
Ohio isn’t Silicon Valley, and yet there are numerous venture capital funds eager to write checks to early-stage founders. Join this session and hear from two investors on which industries are thriving in Columbus, and which sort of founders fit best in this scene.
- Janine Sickmeyer, Overlooked Ventures
- Wolf Starr, CEO Atlas Partners
Work for a startup in Columbus (4:00 pm EDT)
Columbus, like many major American cities, is home to industry giants with hundreds of workers toiling away in cubicles. But startups are hiring! Hear from two local leaders on who’s hiring, and what startups look for in new employees.
- Erika Pryor, Denison University
- Alex “Fro” Frommeyer, CEO Beam Dental
- Ryan Landau, CEO Purpose Jobs
Pitch Competition (4:20 pm EDT)
Apply here!
Judges
- Anna Mason, Managing Partner, Rise of the Rest Seed Fund at Revolution
- General Partner, Initialized Capital
Found Live with Claire Coder, CEO of Aunt Flow (5:00 pm EDT)
Aunt Flow is an innovative startup from Columbus, Ohio that supplies 23,000 bathrooms with essential feminine products. The company’s clients include Apple, Meta and more. Hear from the company’s CEO Claire Coder about the pains of raising capital in Ohio, and scaling her company to 40 employees during this special Found Live podcast recording.
- Claire Coder, CEO and Founder of Aunt Flow
- Darrell and Jordan
