| Event Start Date: October 11, 2023 | Event End Date: October 11, 2023 | Event Venue: Hybrid |
Important dates
We’re back with our second Annual LTNtech Pitch Competition — an engaging 3-round virtual pitch competition designed to showcase & uplift Latin tech founders in their entrepreneurial journey.
During this competition, Latin-led startups will present their innovative companies, competing for the chance to win a cash prize and equity opportunities from our esteemed VC partners at the final pitching event.
Pitch your startup, gain pitching exposure & experience, and win funding and resources!
We are excited to hear from Latin founders about the amazing businesses they are building and support them with the right funding and resources to drive their business forward.
Applications open
8.7.23
Applications close
9.3.23
Semi-finals
9.28.23
Finals
10.11.23
Top 5 founder pitch and expert panel discussion.
Breakdown
Application phase
Complete
9.11.23-9.17.23
Applications are screened and the top 20 startups are notified if they are moving onto the next round: the semi-finals. This competition is open to 1871 members & non-members across the U.S. See eligibility above before applying.
Semi-finals
Complete
9.28.23
The most promising 20 Latin founders will virtually pitch their startups to a panel of esteemed business leaders, competing for coveted finalist spots in the ultimate phase — the Final event on 10.11.23. From these impressive pitches, only the top 5 startups will advance to pitching live at our highly anticipated final event.
🥇 Finals: Pitch & panel with Latin tech experts
Public -> Hybrid
10.11.23
Panel Discussion: Growth & Gaps- Future of Latin Startups in Chicago
2:15 - 3:45 PM CST
Get insights on the current state of the ecosystem, and what industry leaders are currently doing to support Latin founders. Join our panel with Inicio Ventures before we cheer on the top 5 finalists at the final round of the LTNtech Pitch Competition!
Moderator
Kaili Emmrich, Head of North America, Google for Startups
Panelists
Desiree Vargas Wrigley, CIO & Executive Director of P33
Tricia Martinez-Saab, Managing Director of TechStars Chicago TechStars Chicago
Osvaldo Montelongo, Founder of Connect Care Hero
Opening remarks
Arantxa Valverde, Director of Pyros at 1871
Startups Pitching
4:00 - 7:00 PM CST
The top 5 finalists will have the opportunity to deliver their pitches before a panel of judges — composed of business leaders & our esteemed VC partners — for the chance to win funding, valuable resources, and other exciting rewards. Although the pitches will occur in-person at 1871, we also offer virtual options to accommodate both the finalists and audience members. Stick around after the show for in-person networking opportunities!
Pitch Competition MC
Rosa Escareno, General Superintendent & CEO, Chicago Park District
Judges
Betsy Ziegler, CEO, 1871
Jorge Calderon, Managing Director, Inicio Ventures
Arantxa Valverde, Director of Early Stage Program: PYROS, 1871
Steve Shein, Investor at OCA Ventures
Eric Eversman, Senior Associate at Wintrust
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💰
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Funding & awards
We want to be an early stage advocate and fundraising partner to you!
In addition to building valuable connections to the best & brightest business leaders, tech entrepreneurs, and investors, the top 5 finalists have the chance to win:
- Cash prizes & equity funding from our supporting VC partners, totalling a minimum of $25k that will be awarded at the final event
- 6-months of free virtual membership to 1871
About LTNtech
Our LTNtech initiative supports Latin entrepreneurs & leaders with regular programming, tailored resources, mentorship, & community designed to help them embrace their unique strengths & break down the barriers they face.
Why?
In 2021, venture capital investors funneled $150 billion to startups but only 2.1% of those funds were distributed to Latin founders. Despite the rapid growth of Latin entrepreneurship, there is a vast and growing funding gap (Source).
This event activates our community of early stage startups, corporate partners, venture capitalists and the wider tech community. As a collective we aim to deepen the pool of funds that Latin founders can access.
Learn more about our affinity programs under LTNtech Founders here.
Eligibility to enter
- Showcase a deep understanding of your startup’s problem, who the problem affects, and how you plan to solve it
- Clearly define your user and key value propositions
- Have a highly effective go-to-market strategy and have tested and verified these strategies
- Defined business model that ties into the overall strategy of the business
- Ability to showcase traction with your business through customers success
- Phase is pre-seed to seed phase [We want to be part of your first “jump” into fundraising!]
Investors
Sponsors
Interested in supporting our pitching competition events? Let us know!