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AMERICA LOVES
STARTUPS

Apply to be a participant

Applications open on April 1st.

What do you need to apply?

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR CITY

DETERMINE YOUR ELIGIBILITY AND CHOOSE YOUR CITY

See eligibility criteria here. If you apply to a city with a specific industry focus, your startup must be in that industry.

City focus by industry:

  • New York: Fintech / Insurtech
  • LA: AI-Powered Across Industries
  • Austin: Healtech / Femtech
  • Miami: BTB SaaS Across Industries
  • Atlanta: Industry Agnostic

You can only apply to one city.

STEP 2: PREPARE YOUR MATERIALS

  • Pitch deck. Click here for the recommended pitch deck structure and here for the pitch deck tips
  • One – pager, if you have it
  • Financial model
  • Historical financial results for 2023-YTD (whatever is present)
  • Proof of US incorporation
  • Video presentation of the pitch. Click here for the recommended video guidelines

STEP 3: FILL OUT AN APPLICATION

Applications open on April 1t. Want to be the first one to know? Sign up for updates below.

Sign up for updates

STEP 4: RESULTS

Semi-finalists are announced on August 15th. The final is on November 14th in New York City. For more information on prizes at each competition stage, click here.

Recommended Pitch Deck Outline

Slide 1

Executive Summary
Company description and mission / title

Slide 2

Problem

Slide 3

Solution – explain why your solution is unique

Slide 4

Market size / Opportunity

Slide 5

Competition (direct and indirect)

Slide 6

Business Model / Financial Summary
Slide 7

Launch
Product development timeline

Slide 8

Go to Market strategy

Slide 9

Traction

Slide 10

Awards / Press / Patents / Partnerships

Slide 11

Team

Slide 12

Funding Needs

Recommended Video Pitch Structure

1. Introduction

(10–15 seconds)
  • Your Name and Title: Introduce yourself and your role in the company.
  • Company Name and Tagline: Provide a brief, engaging description that captures the essence of your startup’s mission, product, or service.

2. Problem / Solution Statement

(20–30 seconds)
  • Explain why this problem matters and how it impacts potential customers.
  • Present your solution and clearly explain what makes it unique compared to existing alternatives.

3. Market Opportunity

(20–30 seconds)
  • Demonstrate your understanding of the market: show you know your target customers and highlight the market opportunity.

4. Business Model

(20–30 seconds)
  • Clearly outline how your business generates revenue (e.g., product sales, subscription services, licensing).
  • Emphasize any competitive advantages or unique aspects of your approach.

5. Traction

(20–30 seconds)
  • Current Status: Share key milestones achieved, such as sales figures, user growth, partnerships, or other metrics. Include case studies if applicable.

6. Team

(15–20 seconds)
  • Highlight the key team members and their roles, focusing on expertise and experience relevant to your startup’s success.

7. The Ask

(15–20 seconds)
  • Explain how much you are raising and why you need the funds now, what milestones you will be able to achieve with this raise.

8. Example

Click here to watch a video presentation.

    Presentation Tips

    Organize as a table.
    You can use as many tips as are relevant for you.
    • Clearly state what your company does. Sample description structure: Our specific [product / service / SaaS / app] helps [customer segment], who want to [problem] by [doing what – input] to [do what – output].

      Uber sample: Our app helps everyone, who wants to take a ride, by just pushing a button to get a car in 5 min, which takes you anywhere you want to go from where you are.
    • Describe the problem and the solution. Explain how your technology works if relevant.
    • Market size: What is the market size and how was that determined?
    • Traction: What is your proof of concept? Are you generating revenue? Other traction so far?
    • Competition: Who is your competition both direct and indirect and why are you better? Do you have a defensible competitive advantage?
    • Business model: How do you make money? What is your pricing model? What are your customer acquisition costs? What are your key metrics?
    • Go to Market Strategy: How will you reach your customers and convert them? What are your customer acquisition costs? What are your distribution channels?
    • Team (including advisors): Who is on your team and why are the right people?

    • Patents / Partnerships / Awards and press
      (if any)

    • Funding: How much money are you looking to raise and how do you plan to spend funds? How much have you raised already and what stage are you at?

    APPLY NOW!