1: Introduction

The present document defines the Pitch.TECH Competition (the “Competition”) terms and conditions (hereafter “the Competition T&Cs”). It describes the rules that relate to the application and functioning of the Competition.

2: About Pitch.TECH

Pitch.TECH is an idea stage Competition focused on promoting entrepreneurship in the tech space. It is all about giving your ideas visibility, building popularity & getting the validation you need to build it into a successful business.

Hosted by Radix FZC (.TECH Domains) in association with Startup Grind (the “Organisers”), Pitch.TECH is supported by some amazing Startup Grind Chapter Directors who will help find the best startup ideas that have the potential to be built into the next big tech business.  

3: Participation and Eligibility

1. Anyone with a solid idea & the determination to build it into a successful startup, and who fulfils each of the eligibility criteria below can apply to Pitch.TECH
2. Each applicant must be a legal resident of the United States of America and must be over eighteen (18) years of age.
3. To qualify as an idea stage startup, the startup must fulfil the below the criteria:

1. Product - Not yet launched or makes less than $10,000 in sales
2. Funding - No funding yet to less than $100,000 in total funding
3. Employees - 0-1 employees apart from the founder.
4. Company Founded - Not yet - Less than 1 year
5. Must be a standalone idea/business that is not part of an existing business with more than $10,000 in sales or $100,000 in funding

• Participation in the Competition is free of charge.
• Applications must be completed in one session. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Applicants must select the Chapter that is local to their place of residence, if they are not in the geographical boundaries of any of the participating Chapters, they must apply through the chapter titled - “Rest of the US” and specify the city & state they live in
• Each applicant must submit 1 original idea, through 1 application only. Duplicate entries across chapters & ideas will be disqualified.
• All rounds in the Competition will take place virtually via a video conferencing application. Each applicant must be present & technically equipped to pitch at the respective Chapter round & final round virtual pitch Competitions. These include a working mic, camera with an adequate picture quality and an internet connection which supports video conferencing. 
• By participating, the applicant agrees to be fully and unconditionally bound by these Competition T&Cs and represents and warrants that it meets the eligibility requirements. In addition, the applicant agrees to accept the Organisers’ decisions relating to the content of this Competition as final and binding.
• The Organisers have the right to verify the eligibility of each Applicant. Entries that are incomplete or do not adhere to the rules or specifications may be disqualified at the sole discretion of the Organisers.
• If the applicant uses fraudulent methods or otherwise attempts to circumvent the rules, its submission may be removed from eligibility at the sole discretion of the Organisers.
• Any ideas or applications found to be plagiarized, offensive, or unethical may be screened & disqualified. 
• An application may be disqualified at any stage if information provided through the application process or the rest of the Competition is found to be incorrect.
• Any attempt to artificially inflate votes on www.pitch.tech website will lead to disqualification. For clarity, votes from accounts created with the sole purpose of voting multiple times, votes obtained using any robotic, automatic, mechanical, programmed or similar entry duplication method, garnered by offering prizes or other incentives to members of the public, group or vote farming, or any other activities that artificially inflate votes, votes that do not comply with these requirements, or that result from fraud or collusion, or any other abuse of the Competition T&Cs as determined by Organisers’ in their sole discretion, will be disqualified.

4: Timelines for the Competition

The timelines for the applicable stages of Pitch.TECH 2021 are as follows

4th May: Applications open

7th June: Application submission deadline at 11:59:59 PM  PST 

10th June: Approved applicants will be notified of their participation

10th June: All approved ideas will be made live on their unique Pitch.TECH sub-domains; Chapter level voting will begin

15th June: Ideas shortlisted to compete in the chapter’s pitch battle will be announced

18th June - Chapter level voting will end at 11:59:59 PM PST

21st June - 26th June: Chapter Pitch Battle

28th June: Finalists will be announced 

29th June - 5th July: Final round voting

6th July: Grand Finals

5: Submitting an application

a. Eligible applicants can apply online for free by clicking here: https://pitch.tech/apply-now/

b. The online application must include responses to all mandatory areas, which also includes the acknowledgment of these Competition T&Cs.

c. Applicants must complete the Application form in English ; any part of the application that is not in English may not be taken into account.

6: Competition Process

1. Approved applications will be notified on June 9th, 2021
2. All approved applications will be live online on the individual applicant’s choice of subdomain on Pitch.TECH that the applicant can choose at the time of submitting their application. (For eg: mystartup.pitch.tech)
3. Applicants are only allowed to use the sub domain provided on Pitch.TECH (For eg: mystartup.pitch.tech) for activities related to Pitch.TECH for the entirety of the competition. Any use of alternative domains may lead to disqualification.
4. Applicants are encouraged to share this sub-domain with their peers & networks to collect votes & build popularity for their idea. Applicants are only allowed to share the subdomain on Pitch.TECH (for eg:mystartup.pitch.tech) for collecting votes.
5. Each participating Chapter director from Startup Grind will shortlist the best ideas using a set of pre-defined criteria to compete in a virtual pitch battle at the Chapter level. The shortlisted applications will be notified via email. The decision taken by the Chapter directors and the Organisers in shortlisting the application ideas for the virtual pitch battle will be deemed final and binding.
6. The winner from each of these Chapter level pitch battles (the “Finalists”) will move on to the finals.
7. Finalists will have a chance to garner votes for their applications before the final virtual pitch.
8. Finalists will be given the opportunity to present their ideas at the final virtual pitch battle in front of the media, fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and a select panel of judges who will choose the grand winner of Pitch.TECH 2021. 
9. In case of any questions, the Organisers may be reached at contact@pitch.tech. 

7: Prizes

The winner of the Pitch.TECH Competition will receive the below prizes, subject to certain terms and conditions 

• A standard, non-premium .TECH domain name to build their business valid for 3 years
• $10,000 in equity free funding toward build their business on the above .TECH domain
• Entry into Startupgrind’s startup program with the chance to receive benefits valued at  100k+ across multiple partner offers.

8: Intellectual property

a. The applicants understand and agree that the Organisers, anyone acting on behalf of the Organiser, and the Organiser’s licensees, successors, and assigns, shall have the right, where permitted by law, to print, publish, broadcast, distribute, and use in any media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity, without limitation, the applicant’s entry, name, portrait, picture, voice, likeness, image, statements about the Competition, and biographical information for news, publicity, information, trade, advertising, public relations, and promotional purposes, without any further compensation, notice, review, or consent.

b. By submitting his/her application, any applicant represents and warrants that the content of the application is an original work of authorship and does not violate any third party’s proprietary or intellectual property rights. If an entry of any applicant infringes upon the intellectual property right of another, he/she will be disqualified at the sole discretion of the Organisers.

c. If the content of the entry is claimed to constitute infringement of any proprietary or intellectual proprietary rights of any third party, the applicant shall, at his/her sole expense, defend or settle against such claims. The applicant shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Organisers from and against any suit, proceeding, claims, liabilities, loss, damage, costs or expenses, which the Organisers may incur, suffer, or be required to pay arising out of such infringement or suspected infringement of any third party’s right.

d. Applicants are fully responsible at all time for the protection of their intellectual property within the framework within their participation in the Competition.

9: Amendment

a. The Organisers reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Competition should fraud, force majeure or other cause beyond the Organisers’ control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, or proper conduct of the Competition.

b. The Organisers reserves the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify any applicant who tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Competition or violates these Competition T&Cs. The Organisers have the right, in their sole discretion, to maintain the integrity of the Competition. Any attempt by an applicant to deliberately damage or undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition may be a violation of criminal and civil laws. Should such attempt be made, the Organisers reserve the right to seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law.

10: Limitation of liability.

By applying, the applicant agrees to release and hold harmless the Organisers and their subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers, and directors from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, litigation, claim, or damage that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from: (i) the applicant’s participation in the Competition and/or its acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of the Prizes or; (ii) technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to the malfunction of any computer, cable, network, hardware, or software, or other mechanical equipment; (iii) the unavailability or inaccessibility of any transmissions, telephone, or Internet service; (iv) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Competition.

11: Communication

a. The official language of the Competition for the application, pitching, communication, and reporting is English.

b. Any communication regarding the Competition must be sent by email to contact@pitch.tech. 

12: Marketing Mailers & Survey Related Information:

1. Pitch.TECH or its Organisers will send important updates, follow ups and marketing emails to applicants registered email IDs at any time.
2. Pitch.TECH or its Organisers may contact an applicant for understanding the applicant’s experience in the Competition with the intention of improving the experience of applicants in future events.
3. All information collected for the survey will not be shared with any third parties and will be used for internal purposes only.
4. Pitch.TECH partners may send promotional mailers to the applicants 

13: Updates to the Competition T&Cs

The Organisers reserve the right to update the Competition T&Cs at any time. All updates will be posted on the Organisers’ website: www.pitch.tech.