Shark Tank 2020 - Invitation to Submit
The MicroTAS community strives to develop innovative ideas for next generation technologies. In that spirit, many ideas that are presented at this conference are perfect seeds for the newest biological and chemical technology products. As the entrepreneurial spirit is strong in the world of MicroTAS attendees, we are excited to have a forum that will encourage the latest and greatest scientists to take the plunge and make their idea a reality. To that end, we will be hosting an online Shark Tank event at MicroTAS 2020, similar to the ones that were held in previous years. Although the online format may not be ideal, given the new normal of society today, this forum may be the perfect ground for practice before you go out and encounter the real sharks (i.e. VCs!).
Therefore, we are encouraging any and all who have *any* sort of idea that can be commercialized to submit a 90 second video pitch to Shark Tank 2020. This presentation should mimic that of typical pitches to funding sources, as this is one of the most important aspects of getting your feet off the ground and raising money.A panel of judges will evaluate all presentations and select 3 finalists to participate in a live pitch session during the meeting. Finalists will receive feedback from industry and start-up company experts in the field, as well as competing for cash prizes (see below).
Specifically, in the 90 second video pitch we would like to see:
- Description of what you want to commercialize
- Why you want to commercialize it
- The market - how much is it needed? How much will people want it? How much do you think you can sell?
- The timeline for development and costs
- The team you have currently and what you want to put together
- The funding you are asking for right now (and ideally later as well)
- What, if anything, you want advice about from the judges to help you on your venture
In addition to the award, the winners will receive cash prizes in addiotion to pro-bono consultation time with several experts on how to advance your venture: successful entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, Intellectual Property experts, and so on.
Prizes Will Include
- $2000 First Place Fiona Adair Prize, Sponsored by Danaher
- $1000 Second Place MicroTAS 2020 Chairs' Entrepreneurship Prize
- In kinds: provisional patent filings, etc
- Complimentary registration for all finalists (3) who will be presenting
Guidelines
Your submission Videos should:
- Be no longer than 90 seconds
- Be in mp4 format.
- Include the problem you are addressing, the market size, the current competing technology landscape, your idea/approach and why it is better, and the current state of development (including status of intellectual property)
- Not include any confidential / proprietary information in the video
- Not be based on a company that has raised more than $1M in investment funding already.
- The competition is open to students, researchers, post-docs and faculty
- You do not need to have a company yet to compete, but filed intellectual property highly encouraged.
- Videos must be submitted by Friday, September 21 for consideration
Our panel of judges will select 3 finalists to present and compete at microTAS, with further details on the public pitch to be given once finalists are chosen.
Submission Deadline
Monday, September 21, 2020.
Shark Tank Submission page
Shark Tank Chairs
Luc Bousse, Kryptos Biotechnologies, USA
Sumita Pennathur, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
Michelle Khine, University of California, Irvine, USA
Panel of Judges
Don Arnold, Veristad, USA
Holger Becker, CSO, microfluidic ChipShop, Germany
David Cohen, Marker AG, USA
Yolanda Fintschenko, Marketing Superhero, FounderTraction, USA
JD Harriman, Foundation Law Group, USA
Dirk Heckel, DH Diagnostics LLC, a Danaher Company, USA
Carl Meinhart, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
Tomoko Minagawa, Director, Global Brain Corporation, Japan
Josh Molho, Director, Engineering, Milo at ProteinSample, USA
Erez Podoly, MightyGate, USA
Akhil Saklecha, Cleveland Clinic Ventures, USA