Announcing The TechCrunch50 Conference: September 8-10, San Francisco
Michael Arrington
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Mark your calendars for the second annual TechCrunch launch conference, co-produced between TechCrunch and Jason Calacanis: TechCrunch50 at the San Francisco Design Center on September 8-10, 2008.
Like last year at TechCrunch40 (except there will be ten more startup launches), fifty new startups and products will launch over three days. All finalists will be chosen solely on merit; they are not charged to attend or present at the event. The top startup to launch at TechCrunch50, as chosen by the judges and organizers, will receive a $50,000 cash prize (last year’s winner was Mint).
The 40 startups that launched at last year’s event have now raised at over $143 million in venture capital (not all has been disclosed publicly). That’s mostly because they were all excellent startups. But the press and blogger coverage from the event certainly didn’t hurt, either.
We will also be bringing back expert panelists to speak at the event and judge startup demos. Last year’s experts are here. Many of these people will be returning, along with a number of new judges as well. Announcements of attending experts will be made over the next few months.
New Venue, New Format
TechCrunch50 is a three day conference to accommodate the ten additional startup launches, as well as more panels and workshops. We’re changing locations this year. The event will be held at the San Francisco Design Center, a huge and beautiful venue that can accommodate over 1,000 attendees with ease.
We’re incredibly lucky to have the support and backing of a great and growing group of corporate partners. Sequoia Capital, Mayfield Fund, Clearstone Venture Partners, Charles River Ventures and Fenwick & West all returned quickly to support us for the second year in a row. Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo reached out as well, and we’re very grateful for their new commitment to our merit-based conference format.
Is Your New Product Right For TechCrunch50?
If your startup or product is launching in the late summer or Fall, TechCrunch50 may be the perfect launchpad for you. The important factor is that the startup has no previous public exposure before the event - the 50 slots are reserved for new products that the audience hasn’t seen before. If launching on the actual date of the event is too soon, we will make a limited number of exceptions to allow you to show a demo of the product at the event instead.
Things To Know:
Official Site: TechCrunch50
Dates: September 8 - 10, 2008
Tickets To Attend: TechCrunch50 Tickets
Application to Launch Startup/Product: Company Application Form
Applications Deadline: Friday, June 27, 2008 (early consideration deadline June 13)
Conference ticketing courtesy of EventBrite
