Pitch Contest Rules

IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES:

April 15, 2024 – 3:00 PM CEST | Startup submissions — OPENING

April 29, 2024 – 2:59 PM CEST | Startup submissions — CLOSING

May 3, 2024 – 3:00 PM CEST | Pitch battle — OPENING

May 10, 2024 – 2:59 PM CEST | Pitch battle — CLOSING

May 11, 2024 | Announcement of the top projects advancing to the final round

June 13, 2024 | Final round live on stage during BTC Prague 2024

June 15, 2024 | Winner presentation on main stage

ELIGIBILITY:

Early-stage startups with under $1M USD in funding are eligible to enter. Startups in bitcoin / lightning / nostr industries are eligible to enter. Founders must be 18 years of age or older at the time of application. Startups are required to have a working prototype to enter. Employees and vendors of BTC Prague (Twenty one million s.r.o.) are not eligible to enter or win a prize. All applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. You must be in attendance in Prague on June 13, 2024, to be eligible to win.

CONTEST PERIOD:

The Contest starts with the submission period, which begins on April 15, 2024, at 3:00 PM CEST and ends on April 29, 2024, at 2:59 PM CEST. The pitch battle, which begins on May 3, 2024, at 3:00 PM CEST and ends on May 10, 2024, at 2:59 PM CEST, will be managed by the Mash platform using a link announced on www.btcprague.com/pitchcontest. Finalists will be notified by email no later than 3:00 PM CEST on May 10, 2024. Finalists will present live on stage in Prague on June 13th, 2024. The winner will be selected by the panel of judges.

SUBMISSIONS:

During the Contest submission period, fill out the form here: https://my.forms.app/form/641c1a186c84801d4bb065c5 (the “Signup form”) with all requested information including strategy, pitch deck, etc. Limit One (1) Entry per person, per company, and per e-mail address during the Contest Period, regardless of whether a person has more than one address or more than one person uses the same address.

WINNER SELECTION:

Finalists will be selected by a jury selected by BTC Prague organizers. Finalists will be notified via email no later than 3:00 PM CET on May 10, 2024. Finalists will present live on stage in Prague on June 13, 2024.

The Contest winner (“Winner”) will be selected live, on-stage, at the pitch competition by a jury selected by BTC Prague organizers, whose decisions on all matters relating to the Contest shall be final. In the event that a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, BTC Prague may, in its sole discretion, award the applicable prize to an alternate winner selected by the panel of judges.

Prizes/Odds of Winning Prize: No more than ten finalists will be selected from all applicants. Winner will be determined on June 13, 2024, live at the pitch competition.

The Winner will receive:

Check for €3.000
Great visibility and introduction among partnering VCs
Lugano PLAN ₿ Forum tickets
Consultancy and support from Jury members – up to 10 hours of consultancy (legal, tax, advisory…) from each jury member

CONDITIONS:

BTC Prague reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest (or a portion thereof). BTC Prague also reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify the Entry of any individual. All federal, state, and local taxes on the prize and any expenses not specified herein are the sole responsibility of the Winner. Should a dispute arise regarding the identity of the claimant, BTC Prague reserves the sole right to determine the eligible party. BY ENTERING, EACH ENTRANT WAIVES ALL RIGHTS TO BRING (AND COVENANTS NOT TO BRING) ANY CLAIM AGAINST BTC Prague OR ANY OTHERS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONTEST. ENTRANTS FURTHER AGREE TO RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS BTC Prague FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY ARISING FROM THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST, OR BTC Prague’s USE OF ANY ENTRY INFORMATION. Any disputes that may arise hereunder shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the Czech Republic, without regard to the conflicts of laws principles of any jurisdiction. Venue with respect to any such disputes shall be had in the state and federal courts of the Czech Republic.

PUBLICITY AND RELEASE:

As a condition of entry into the Contest, except where prohibited by law, each entrant and each Winner by accepting a prize grants to BTC Prague, all rights, title, and interest in to publicize, broadcast, display, and/or otherwise use the Contest entrant’s name, city, state, and biographical material, as well as their company’s name, logo, company description, and photos and content from the pitch competition (collectively, “Licensed Rights”) in any media for advertising and publicity purposes, without additional review, compensation, or approval of the winner. If Winner does not respond to the notification or is not present when prize delivery is attempted, such prize will be forfeited. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by the Official Rules and the decisions of the judges, which are final and binding in all respects.

INVITATION TO COMPETE; WITHDRAWAL:

The announcement of startups invited to compete in the 2024 BTC Prague Competition will be made by email no later than 3:00 PM CEST on May 12, 2024. Startups invited to compete have until 3:00 am CET on May 17, 2024, to confirm their participation. Confirmation will be made by email. Startups who do not confirm by this day and time will forfeit their invitation and the invitation will be provided to another startup.

A confirmation to compete is considered a binding commitment. If a startup has confirmed their acceptance of the invitation to the Competition and then later withdraws of the Competition after 3:00 PM on May 19, 2024, for any reason, their project will be ineligible to compete in the Competition for the following two years.

ATTENDANCE:

To be considered for any award, all invited and confirmed startups must attend the entire BTC Prague 2024.

Startups must arrive at BTC Prague 2024 on June 13, 2024, by 08:00 AM CEST and stay present on site till June 15, 2024.
All invited and confirmed startups must participate in the Pitch Contest and showcase on June 13, 2024.