At every level of the competition, entries to the Startup Challenge and Startup Showcase will be evaluated using these criteria:
IDEA
- Value proposition
- Originality, innovation and thoughtfulness
- Impact on big problem
PRODUCT/SERVICE
- Differentiation from the existing competition
- User experience
- Identification and addressing of major relevant risks, and inclusion of contingency plans
PREPARATION FOR LAUNCH
- Target market and customer identification and segmentation
- Pricing model
- Core revenue model and ancillary revenue streams
- Semifinalists and Finalists will be required to provide 3-5 year financial projections
EXECUTION PLAN
- Marketing strategy
- Sales strategy
- Plan to scale
PROGRESS/TRACTION
- Product development
- Traction-to-date (relationships with key market participants, sales, downloads, website traffic, etc.)
- Future measurable, achievable milestones
TEAM
- Expertise of founding team
- Commitment and motivation of founding team
- Strategy to attract additional key people