NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Launch Tennessee and PandoDaily are now accepting startup applications for the 2014 Southland entrepreneur conference, which will take place June 9 – 11 in Nashville.
Startups from across the country can apply to pitch for a grand prize of $100,000 at the conference. Ten startups will be selected to pitch for not only the grand prize, but also expert business coaching and extraordinary media exposure through our partnership with PandoDaily. An additional number of startups will be selected to exhibit in the Southland Village. Startups can apply at www.southlandse.com.
“The pitch competition and Southland Village are great opportunities for early-stage companies looking for capital and exposure,” said Charlie Brock, CEO of Launch Tennessee. “By bringing in top-notch speakers and judges, as well as incorporating our unique Southern culture, we are confident we will attract some of the best startups from across the country.”
The startup competition will be judged by a panel of ten judges, who have agreed to put up an individual investment of $10,000 that will be pooled together to create the $100,000 grand prize. Five of the 10 judges include Josh Kopelman of First Round Capital, Shervin Pishevar of Sherpa Ventures, Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures, Kevin Colleran of General Catalyst, and Vic Gatto from Nashville’s Jumpstart Foundry. The remaining five judges will be announced in the near future.
Launch Tennessee is a public-private partnership focused on supporting the development of high-growth companies in the state of Tennessee with the ultimate goal of making Tennessee the No. 1 place in the Southeast to start and grow a company. Launch Tennessee focuses on four key areas: entrepreneurship, commercialization, capital and outreach. Launch Tennessee is in part funded by a grant from the State of Tennessee. Please friend Launch Tennessee on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/LaunchTN), Twitter (www.Twitter.com/LaunchTN), YouTube (www.YouTube.com/LaunchTN) and Flickr (www.Flickr.com/LaunchTN).
PandoDaily is a web publication that offers technology news, analysis and commentary, with a focus on Silicon Valley, New York and Los Angeles startup ecosystems. PandoDaily was formed in January 2012 with the primary goal of being the site of record for Silicon Valley. Since then, PandoDaily has produced more than 30 events through their Emmy Nominated PandoMonthly series. For more information on PandoDaily, visit their website (www.pandodaily.com), Twitter (www.twitter.com/pandodaily) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/pandodaily).
For more information on Southland, please visit www.southlandse.com.
