FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In August, a qualifier event for the largest start up competition in the world, called the Startup World Cup, will be right here in Northwest Arkansas.
"The Startup World Cup is a worldwide competition put on by Pegasus Ventures out of California. They work with regional organizations across the world to host qualifying events where startups entrepreneurs have the opportunity to pitch locally. The winner from those competitions goes on to a grand finale in San Francisco," Caleb Talley, Executive Director of Startup Junkie, explained.
Startup Junkie, a local company, is working hard to host this event.
"After a conversation with some of the folks there at Pegasus ventures, they reached out and were interested in the northwest Arkansas entrepreneurial ecosystem," Talley said. "Saw a lot of what was going on here in our region. I think it's a testament to our region in our state and activity as it pertains to entrepreneurship that They were interested in hosting a regional event."
Talley says he knows what this means to entrepreneurs all over Northwest Arkansas.
"When you look at their website, and you look at all the regions and the places around the world that are hosting qualifying events to participate in this, you know Arkansas is right up there with Dubai and your Silicon Valleys and your larger ecosystems that people immediately think about when they think about innovation and entrepreneurship, and the fact that Arkansas is hosting one this year, I think is a testament to the progress We're making as it pertains to entrepreneurship in Arkansas," Talley said.
Talley adds that winning this competition would be huge to any start up.
"For the opportunity for startups to be able to compete for an investment of a million dollars, which is significant, is a pretty big deal, and we're always looking for opportunities to help our entrepreneurs that we serve get access to capital," Talley said.
If you want to apply, click here.
“If you are interested in participating, fill out the information on the website. There, you'll upload a pitch deck, for a presentation about their startup, or their idea for a startup. And then those applicants will actually be narrowed down by judges to 10, and then those 10 will compete in person," Talley said.
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