NEXT Berlin, Berlin’s first conference for the digital economy in Berlin, is kicking-off its call for candidates for its Startup-Pitch competition. Finalists will present their start-up on one of the main stages on 5-6 of May at NEXT14 and take home a super attractive prize package. The jury is top-notch, composed of renowned entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and representatives from the media, including such names as Max Claussen (Earlybird) Philipp Möhring (AngelList), Matt Cooper (oDesk), Shira Abel (Hunter & Bard), Alex Farcet (Start-up Bootcamp), Ayelet Noff (Blonde 2.0) and Alex Hofmann (Gründerszene).
Unlike some other competitions, NEXT14’s encourages the public to get involved in choosing who goes on to the next round. Startups will have until March 26th to apply. After this date, people can vote on line until April 13th for their favorite startup.
In a first this year, NEXT Berlin will be partnering with the Heureka start-up conference, also a part of Berlin Web Week. Two pre-finalists from the NEXT Start-Up Pitch will receive wild cards from the jury to participate in Heureka’s Investor Speed Pitching event.
To apply, your startup should still be in beta phase and should not yet have raised a Series-A round. This year, the organizers are particularly looking for entrants from areas such as the Internet of Things/hardware, Big Data, new interfaces/wearables and money as well as female-led startups. However if your startup falls outside these areas, you are still encouraged to apply.
If you’d like to apply, you can do so here by March 26, 2014.
If you’re a startup and would like to attend NEXT14, you can still get discounted startup tickets here.