Early-Stage Startup Application for the Alliance’s Deep Tech and MedTech Symposia

The First Look SoCal Innovation Showcase Series celebrates the best early-stage startups commercializing deep tech, bioscience, and medtech breakthroughs emerging from the top universities and research institutions in Southern California. These startups are seeking their first round of institutional capital (e.g. Pre-seed), hence they are a “first look” for investors.

This year, we are also showcasing early-stage startups, ideally affiliated with regional accelerators and support organizations, who are seeking Seed and Series A funding in our “SoCal Accelerator” showcases for Deep Tech (Sept 24) and Medtech (Nov 4.

Each startup will present a 3-minute investor quick pitch followed by 6 minutes of Q&A led by a panel of leading investors, corporates, and subject matter experts who provide invaluable insights and access to capital.

Here’s what some of the previous startup presenters had to say about their experience at First Look SoCal:

“Great place to network and meet other entrepreneurs/investors”

“I like the judging panel asking questions. And great attendance”

“It was a great opportunity to get more pitch practice and meet investors”

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KEY DATES

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Bioscience: April 15 (closed)
Deep Tech: July 31
MedTech: September 14

LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bioscience: April 21
Deep Tech: August 14
MedTech: September 24

PITCH PREP WORKSHOPS (optional)

1:1 Sessions scheduled as needed

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Selection Criteria

Startups will be selected based on factors such as potential for disruption, novelty of the innovation/discovery, size of the commercial opportunity, and/or overall potential for impact.

What kind of startups should apply to present?

• Currently based in Southern California
• Possess established hard tech and/or life sciences intellectual property that addresses a big market opportunity or problem and is more than just a good idea
• Startups have reached an inflection point in their lifecycle where being connected to resources outside of their current network will fundamentally enhance their growth trajectory. Prime examples include relationships with top tier investors and VC firms or to fill key roles such as CEO/Executive Chairman.

For the First Look SoCal showcase, the additional criteria apply:

• Founding team is professionally affiliated with a research/higher education institution located in Southern California
• Have not yet raised their first institutional round of funding but are currently or soon to be fundraising
• They have made at least preliminary steps towards forming a venture with the purpose of commercializing their intellectual property

Presented by

Host Partners

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