OIST-Lifetime Startup Elevate 2024
Pitch Elevate
The featured content of OIST-Lifetime Startup Elevate is a VC mentoring-style pitch contest for pre-foundation to seed/early stage healthcare/sustainability entrepreneurs who are serious about raising funds. Participating startups will receive the following benefits:
Mentoring
- All entrepreneurs and startups who passed the screening process will be interviewed by investors and Lifetime Ventures members to help them prepare for the pitch as well as refine their business strategy.
Acceleration
We will provide mentoring to a limited number of entrepreneurs who have entered the program in the early stage of the application process. Mentoring Board composed by Lifetime Ventures and other top investors will work with them for several weeks, supporting them from business plan review and preparation of pitch deck.
Matching
One week prior to the event, an 1-on-1 online matching session is held with all of the mentor VCs with healthcare and sustainability expertise. Startup entrepreneurs and mentor VCs will be matched one week prior to the Startup Elevate event. Investors will give detailed advice to the entrepreneurs to be ready for the pitch event on April 25-26th.
Finance Support
The entrepreneurs will have a chance to pitch or present for funding to the potential investors during the Startup Elevate event. The entrepreneurs will get the support in fundraising through this event regardless of the investment from Lifetime Ventures or startup program participation at OIST.
Qualifications
・Seed/early-stage healthcare/sustainability startups that are currently seeking funding and have raised less than ¥500 million in equity to date.
・Applicants must be able to participate in the entire two-day program (including the pitch at the venue on-site on the day of the event).
*We welcome applications at idea-stage/ pre-incorporation.
*Please note that presentations will be given in English at the event.
Flow from entry to the day
1 Entry
- The entry period is from Thursday, February 1st to Sunday, March 31st at 23:59.
- Please complete your application using the entry form on this page.
2 Document examination
Documents will be reviewed from time to time from those who have submitted their entries.
We plan to notify you of the screening results after mid-March.
3 Interview screening
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Applicants who passed the screening stage will be asked to attend an online interview from early April.
4 Matching with mentor VC @online
For entrepreneurs who have passed the interview screening and confirmed their intention to participate locally, we will hold an online matching session (PITCH CIRCUIT) with a mentor VC to determine the entrepreneur/investor pair who will be on stage together on the day. *Investors will be provided with support to brush up their pitches and growth strategies by the day of the event, with the premise that they will give supportive comments to their paired entrepreneurs on stage on the day of the event.
*Implementation period: 1 week before the event
5 On the day @OIST
Startup Elevate will be held for two days and one night from April 25th (Thursday) to April 26th (Friday).
On the day of the event, we will meet at Naha Airport or in front of the hotel and head to the venue by bus. The bus will be prepared by the management committee.
Please arrange your own travel expenses and accommodation to Okinawa. A portion of the travel expenses will be supported in the form of honorarium.
Briefing video
This is a video of a past briefing session about OIST-Lifetime Startup Elevate 2024 and Pitch Elevate.