The Launch Place and the Angel Capital Association (ACA)’s Angel University are partnering to bring together angel investors and entrepreneurs to learn, share and network. This two-day event offers a unique experience for both angel investors and entrepreneurs that will be filled with immersive learning and networking. Attendees will begin the two-day event with ACA Angel University and conclude with a fast-paced pitch competition where winners will walk away with $15,000 to move their ventures forward.
ACA Angel University will offer two courses valuable to both angel investors and entrepreneurs—Angel Exit Strategy and Risks in Angel Investing. This is the first time these two courses are being taught with angels and entrepreneurs learning together. Angels will learn how to get to successful paydays—harvesting their investments by helping their companies manage risks and achieve successful exits. Entrepreneurs gain a better understanding of how angels think and evaluate early-stage companies helping entrepreneurs build stronger partnerships with their investors.
The Big Launch Challenge, a competition targeting the best startups in the country, is a unique opportunity to see 10 leading startups as they compete for $15,000 in prize money. Over the past 8 years of hosting this competition, The Launch Place has awarded $159,000 to 14 companies. The Launch Place strives to foster an environment for new and serial entrepreneurs in which they can raise capital and have access to support services they need to take their products and/or solutions into the marketplace.
“The goal of the Big Launch Challenge is to provide early-stage startups the opportunity to pitch their ideas to investors, and for The Launch Place Pre-Seed and Seed Fund to generate deal flow,” says The Launch Place President and CEO, Eva Doss. “Every year it is a different experience, with different business ideas and founding teams. We are very excited to host the competition in person again and to hear the thought-provoking pitches.”
A special thanks to our sponsors – Center of Innovative Technology and Woods Rogers.
The two-day event will begin on October 13th in the afternoon with ACA Angel University and end with the Big Launch Challenge starting at 1:00pm on Thursday, October 14th.
Companies interested in participating must complete an application. The top 10 companies will be invited to pitch in-person to the panel of judges on Thursday, October 14, 2021 at the NC Biotechnology Center (15 TW Alexander Dr, Durham, NC 27709).
The challenge is an annual event and offers startups valuable business networking and capital opportunities, as well as critical resources. The goal of The Big Launch Challenge is to foster entrepreneurship by offering education, team creation, mentorship, early-stage prototyping, and potential follow-on seed financing.
For additional information, contact Varun Sadana at vsadana@
Register to Attend
The challenge is an annual event and offers startups valuable business networking and capital opportunities, as well as critical resources. The goal of The Big Launch Challenge is to foster entrepreneurship by offering education, team creation, mentorship, early-stage prototyping, and potential follow-on seed financing.
