It may seem like there are a lot of health startup events happening these days, but the one I’m about to highlight is really different. They all feature health experts as speakers, and the potential to network…but the chance to pitch your startup on stage in front of hundreds of key investors and influencers within the health entrepreneurial and media community is pretty unique, and could be a game-changer for your company.
This event is called Vator Splash Health, and it is a high profile health startup pitch competition, combined with inspiring “TED talk-like” segments of top-notch speakers and panelists, such as the CEOs of Doximity, Practice Fusion, GetWellNetwork and Kaiser Permanente’s physician group (TPMG).
The competition starts online, it just opened, and it’s free to enter – so enter now! The idea is for each startup to rack up points online, mainly through popular voting, so be sure to have your colleagues, advisors and supporters register on Vator.tv & vote for your startup – then a panel of VCs and industry judges will pick the finalists. The deadline is midnight on December 19, 2014. If you are in an accelerator or incubator, be sure to note that when you fill out the Funding section of the entry form – that will earn you 25 extra points!
The top 10 startups will battle it out live in front of a panel of judges and hundreds of attendees at the event, which will be held at the auditorium at Kaiser Center in Oakland, California. (Did you know that a report from the National Venture Capital Association with assistance from Thomson Reuters and PriceWaterhouse Cooper ranked Oakland as 9th among U.S. cities attracting tech investment last year? And in the first quarter of 2014 it appears to have moved up to 5th). Apparently, Oakland is the new San Jose!
Winners of past Vator pitch events have cumulatively received over $400 million in follow-on capital – this means that the Vator competition platform and process finds and showcases very solid startups. And, if you do walk away with 1st prize, you’ll have at least 10 meetings set up for you with VCs, as well as a load of in-kind prizes and some excellent media coverage to boot.
Until now, Vator startup competitions have included companies from across industries – this is their very first health-only event. That being said, health startups have done well in the past at Vator events – case in point, Lisa Maki, CEO of PokitDok took home the top prize in early 2013 and subsequently received $4 million in follow-on funding.
As you can see, there are tons of reasons to enter Vator Splash Health. Why wait? Enter your health startup today and start competing. Good luck, and I’ll see you in Oakland in February!
(image source: govtech.com)
Hilary Weber, founder, Opportu Startup Leadership. opportu.com