Pitch Madness, which was born in Tampa two years ago at the Synapse Summit, is now going global.
The competition, which pits entrepreneurs head-to-head in a bracket challenge competition, has broken into the e-sports world with its Sports Startup Digital Debate Competition kicking off May 5. It will span multiple weeks, ending May 21. You can watch live here.
"The idea was to give a lot of the startups in the industry the opportunity to see some competitiveness again, get some live sports back in our lives, get them exposure," Tyler Kelly, the founder of Pitch Madness, said in an interview with Tampa Bay Inno. "It's difficult if you're focused on live sports, then then they take a stop overnight. And with Pitch Madness being a sports-themed brand, we thought it was only right to have a sports-themed tournament."
The competition will have 16 competitors and allows viewers to watch from afar online and fill out their own bracket. Those with a perfect bracket could win $250 — participants just need to make any donation to the Pledge It campaign, which benefits health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
"During the time we are all in, we thought it would be even cooler to tie a great cause into this," Kelly said. "We thought it would be a way to do our part."
Over 75 companies applied, with Kelly whittling it down to the Sweet 16. A participant from the Netherlands is among the mix, as well as Tampa-based Marcus Howard, the founder of E2Generations esports. There are also 21 judges with ties to venture capital firms like Will Ventures, Courtside Ventures and First Serve Partners.
"What's been fun to see is because these founders have a focus in the sports industry, there's a natural inclination to be more competitive," he said. "One of the things that's been a bit challenging (with Pitch Madness) is it's new and they're not used to debating each other on stage. But I'm excited because these founders have a natural inclination to be a little feistier and go head-to-head."
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And while it is sports focused, Kelly believes the lessons can be applied to any entrepreneur watching at home.
"It's a learning opportunity you wouldn’t get in a traditional pitch competition," he said. "Usually, pitch competitions are very product focused which doesn't translate to other products. But these are more business situations and can be transferred through any industry."
