Startup Weekends are 54 hours of start-up thrills and spills plus a huge amount of learning, networking and fun. That in itself is reward enough, but we have a great selection of prizes to give away and on Sunday evening the judges will deliberate and select some winners based on the final pitches.

Here is some information about the judging criteria and some key questions you need to answer with your pitch. More importantly, properly addressing these issues will almost certainly improve the likelihood of future success with your new venture.

Customer Validation

You got lots of brownie points from the judges for doing this. Launch online surveys, get out on the streets and do interviews and get as much feedback on your brilliant idea as possible. If you find there’s no market, pivot, adapt and iterate!

Business Model

If you can’t monetise or find a way to sustain the venture, it won’t survive! How will you generate revenue? What’s the competition like and what is the unique selling proposition that keeps you ahead of the pack? Get advice from the mentors, they’ve been there before, learn from their past mistakes and successes.

Execution

Ideas are a commodity, it’s how you deliver that’s important. How did you manage the process of conceptualising, testing and building an entirely new product or service? What have you got to show the judges by Sunday evening?

Beyond

Explain how you will evolve the business in a strategic way bearing in mind the challenges already mentioned. Who are the key team members in place to take the project forward? Is there a growth opportunity in your chosen market? Demonstrate your commitment – the hard work is just beginning.