Procrastination is the mother of missed opportunities, and if you still haven’t submitted your early-stage startup to compete in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield MENA 2018, then it’s time to get moving. You have only one week left before the July 17 deadline (Deadline extended to July 31st). Apply right now for your shot at being chosen as “the Middle East and North Africa’s Most Promising Startup.”
This is our first time hosting our premier startup competition in the Middle East and North Africa, and we couldn’t be more excited. TechCrunch Startup Battlefield MENA 2018 takes place in Beirut, Lebanon on October 3 at the Beirut Digital District. We can’t wait to see the exciting startups and entrepreneurs coming out of this vital, growing tech ecosystem.
Does your pre-Series A startup qualify to apply? We’re so glad you asked. Here are the criteria that startups must meet to compete:
- Have an early-stage company in “launch” stage
- Be headquartered in one of these eligible countries: Algeria, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Yemen
- Have a fully working product/beta reasonably close to, or in, production
- Have received limited press or publicity to date
- Have no known intellectual property conflicts
- Apply by July 31, 2018, at 9 p.m. PST
Now that you know your startup is good to go, let’s talk about how Startup Battlefield works and what you stand to gain by participating.
Our experienced TechCrunch editors will review every application — they’ve been doing this process since 2007, and they’re experts at finding the best of the best — and then select 15 startups to vie for the top prize.
The competition begins with three preliminary rounds — five startups per round will each have six minutes to pitch and present their demo. The judges have six minutes following each pitch to ask the team questions. Five of the 15 startups will be chosen to move on to the finals and pitch a second time and, from that elite group, the judges will name the winner of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield MENA 2018.
The founders of the winning startup will receive US$25,000 in no-equity cash, plus a trip for two to compete in the Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt in 2019 (assuming the company still qualifies to compete at the time).
Even if you don’t win the big prize, there’s a ton of value in participating. Extensive media coverage and investor interest for starters. Consider this: Collider, a runner-up at Disrupt NY 2017 went on to receive a significant investment from Michael Kocan, a managing partner at Trend Discovery.
Plus, every competing team joins the ranks of the Startup Battlefield alumni network. This community consists of almost 750 companies that have collectively raised more than $8 billion in funding and produced more than 100 exits. Companies you might recognize include Mint, Dropbox, Yammer, TripIt, Getaround and Cloudflare.
TechCrunch Startup Battlefield MENA 2018 takes place on October 3, at the Beirut Digital District Nassif Yazigi, Lebanon. If you’re a founder of an early-stage startup in the Middle East and North Africa, you can’t afford to miss this opportunity.
You have just one short week left to get your application to us, so apply today. We can’t wait to see you there!
Updated: This article has been updated to reflect the accurate application submission date of July 31st as well as the approved list of countries.