Announcing NomadX Pitch Competition in Lisbon: €8,000+ Prizes
The Portuguese startup scene is getting hot. Very hot. Venture capital investments have jumped sixfold in since 2015. Startups like Farfetch, Uniplaces, Aptoide, and Unbabel are making a name for themselves. More than 53,000 companies, CEOs, investors, and technologists flocked to Lisbon for Web Summit last year. Factory is creating a gigantic 35,000 square meter startup hub — and that’s only the first phase.
Given Lisbon’s low cost of living, tech scene, unbeatable weather, and governmental incentives, it should be no surprise that many expats, digital nomads, entrepreneurs, and startups are taking root. With energy in the air, the question on everyone’s mind is,
“What’s Lisbon’s next big startup?”
We plan to find out.
NomadX invites early-stage startups to compete for cash and partnerships this August 23rd at Second Home. Sponsored by Facebook and Google and judged by a panel of big-name CEOs and founders, our pitch competition seeks to find — and help fund — the best in the city.
While competing for €3000+ cash and €5000+ other prizes, entrepreneurs will be able to present their ideas, share their progress, and get valuable feedback from others. The goal is to facilitate conversations between young companies, experienced mentors, potential partners, and future investors.
We’re very fortunate to have an amazing lineup of judges, sponsors, and supporters:
- Facebook, Platinum Anchor Sponsor (€2000 cash prize), event judge
- Google, Gold Sponsor (€1000 cash prize), event judge
- Albuquerque & Associados, Gold Sponsor (€5000 consulting/legal package), event judge
- Dave Williams, 4x company founder/CEO, most notably BLiNQ Media and 360i
- Matty Mo, 3x company founder/CEO turned world-famous artist
- Genevieve Bos, 4x company founder/CEO, board member of many companies
- Christian Griffith, 2x company founder, digital agency executive, ultra-athlete, T.V. Star
What are the details?
What: Five-minute pitch competition for early-stage businesses seeking funding
Where: Second Home, Mercado de Ribeira, Avenida 24 de Julho, 1200–479 Lisboa
When: Wednesday, 23 August at 18:30h
Prize: €3000+ cash prizes and €5000+ other prizes provided by sponsors and partners
Interested in watching the competition?
We welcome entrepreneurs, investors, founders, freelancers, and curious onlookers to attend the competition, offer questions, and network with other attendees. Admission is free, but you have to RSVP HERE.
Who can compete?
Applicants must be seeking investments, but have not yet received external funding from angel investors or VC firms.
How do I get selected to compete?
Complete our APPLICATION FORM by 18 August. We will select 6–8 qualified competitors from the batch of applicants. Applications will be judged holistically, however primary criteria will include:
- Originality of concept
- Degree of progress
- Quality of application
Applications will be selected by a four-person panel of founders & CEOs selected by Second Home and NomadX.
What is the format of the competition?
Competitors will have up to five minutes to pitch their business. Next, there will be five minutes of questions, selected by the judges. Executive Summaries (required) and Slideshows (optional) must be submitted two days prior to the competition (21 August).
How will the pitches be judged?
There will be a 4–6 person panel composed of angel investors, venture capitalists, event sponsors, and successful founders/CEOs. They will assess competitors holistically on a scale of 1–10 and the team with the highest average score will be named the winner. Among other things, the following aspects will be considered:
1. Business Model
Can this idea make money? Is there positive customer growth or revenue? Is there a customer acquisition / rollout strategy? Has a revenue model been defined and is it realistic? Is the idea/team ready for capital and execution? Would you invest in this company at this point?
2. Customer Validation
Did the team identify customers (demographic, location, etc.)? Did the team get out and talk to customers? What is the value proposition to customers? What channels of communication are used? Product/Market fit?
3. Technical — Execution
How well developed is the product? Has the product been tested? Has the company received feedback from their target market? How much additional design/development is needed to complete the project?
4. Design — Execution
Does it have a professional look and feel? Does it deliver a compelling and captivating user experience? Is it memorable?
Should I attend?
Whether you’re a startup looking to compete, investor looking for new talent, or curious observer, we welcome you to JOIN US on August 23 to see some of the best of Lisbon.
If you are interested in sponsoring the event, please reach out to Graham Novak: [email protected]
ABOUT NOMADX
NOMADX is a real estate technology platform developed to meet the needs of the rapidly growing global community of location-independent remote workers, or “Digital Nomads”.
As Digital Nomads ourselves, we know what the market is looking for: trusted, affordable accommodations in highly-attractive locations worldwide at 50% less than AirBNB. We also offer educational masterclasses to help master the lifestyle as well as community events to help foster new friendships.
Please join our community of Digital Nomads and remote workers from around the world:
Instagram: nomadx.experience
Facebook Group: Support Community for Remote Workers
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dave Williams is the CEO and Co-founder of NOMADX with his base in Lisbon, Portugal. Dave is a US pioneer in the digital marketing, advertising, and ad tech industries as a serial digital entrepreneur over the past 20+ years with multiple exits in the early formative stages of the search engine marketing, social media, and ad tech industries.
