New York is teeming with startups aggressively elbowing for their moment in the spotlight, but sometimes obnoxious levels of networking and gimmicky marketing can only get you so far. Enter Speed Dating for Startups, a new contest born of a Thrillist/Samsung (SSNLF) collab that gives wantrepreneurs a chance to strut their stuff on video for the chance to win a prize package.
From July 23 to September 30, users can submit a 30-second video explaining their startup: think of it like a filmed elevator pitch performed on a very, very slow elevator. The top three winners will get face time with some of New York’s most beloved techies, including TechStars cofounder David Tisch and Thrillist’s own Ben Lerer.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what the pitches look like and hoping to find the next generation of entrepreneurs that are willing to disrupt the status quo and challenge the old business models, the same way I believe we’ve done,” said Mr. Lerer in a press release, presumably just before goin’ on and brushin’ his shoulders off.
The grand prize winner of the speed dating startup competition will win:
Services from the PR mavens at MRPR, KinPixel’s graphic design squad, and LiftFive’s social media gurus; 2.) A suite of Samsung Series 9 laptops whose 9.1 second boot time will build their start-up in no time; and 3.) The chance to be showcased on Thrillist.
Ah, sweet, sweet startup swag. Perhaps the winning startup can even nab entry to the Thrillist company picnic, which we hear was quite the boozy affair.
Interested startups should get to work on that pithy script, though the competition does look rather lackluster: to date, no one has entered the contest.
