Judge Info

Judging/Evaluations

• Besides giving verbal feedback throughout the event, you can find the online judging evaluation sheets here (please do not select the “Evaluate” button in the online form until you see the pitch).

Where Can I Find The Startup Investor Profile One-Sheeters?

• The investor profile reports for the ten Finalists can be found folder here (please do not select the “Evaluate” button in the online form until you see the pitch).

What’s The Schedule?

JAN 22 (Wed)

• 12:30-1:00p - Registration
  
• 1:00-5:30p - Spring 2020 Finalist Pitch Day Pitches #1-5
• 5:30-7:30p - Spring 2020 Finalist Pitch Day Demo (judges get time to test/demo products of Top 10)
  

JAN 23 (Thur)

• 8:30-9:00a - Registration
  
• 9:00a-1:30p - Spring 2020 Finalist Pitch Day Pitches #6-10 with Final Evaluations; Lunch will be provided

• 4:30-5:00p - Fall 2019 Global Demo Day Registration
  
• 5:00-7:00p - Fall 2019 Global Demo Day - registration here
  
  • Fall 2019 Cohort Pitches: Clicktivated, Funder, LiveStyled
  • Keynote Panel #1: “Women Powering Sports Business” with NHL, UnderArmour, and St. Louis Blues
    
  • Keynote Panel #2: “Power of Esports” with NHL, IBM, The Esports Observer
    
• 7:00-8:30p - Fall 2019 Global Demo Day VIP Social (networking w/ Fall 2019 cohort & VIPs)

Where Is It?

• Spring 2020 Finalist Pitch Day will be held in the afternoon of Jan 22 and the morning of Jan 23 at the MOTO Museum ( 3410 Locust Street, St. Louis, MO 63103). Registration will be in the lobby when you arrive.
• Fall 2019 Global Demo Day will be held in the evening of Jan 23 at Busch Stadium (615 S. 7th Street, St. Louis, MO 63102). Guests are to enter through Gate 2 and will be directed to the Red Bird Club where registration will be located.

Where Do I Park?

• If needed, free parking for Finalist Pitch Day is available in the lot located across the street from the MOTO Museum entrance (3410 Locust Street, St. Louis, MO 63103). A MOTO Museum employee will be guiding traffic.
• If needed, free parking for Global Demo Day at Busch Stadium is available in Lot A (615 S. 7th Street, St. Louis, MO 63102) located next to Gate 2.

How Do The Pitches Work?

• During the pitches, the finalists will have up to 10 minutes to pitch their business, and the Judging Panel will have up to 10-15 minutes for Q&A. A week out, a copy of the Finalist Pitch Day Agenda will be found at the end and emailed to each judge.

What Should I Do Prior?

• Review the investor profile reports for the ten Finalists, which can be found in “Judging/Evaluation” above.
• Please familiarize yourself with these businesses and be prepared to have your most pertinent questions queued up; coming to the Finalist Pitch Day event having reviewed this information is important to getting the right questions answered.
• Please note that all evaluations will be done online, so be sure to bring a laptop or tablet.

Can I Bring My Laptop Or Tablet?

• Please bring a laptop or tablet that can access WiFi as this will be used for the electronic evaluations. And please don’t forget your power cord!

Where Can I Access The Judging Forms?

• You can find the judging forms here. These will be provided online on the days of the event on this page.

Do I Need To Bring Anything Else?

• At your seat, you will have an event program along with a pen and pad of paper for additional notes.

What Do I Wear?

• Dress code is smart casual. We will all be wearing jeans and sport coats.

What Is Stadia Looking For From These Pitches?

• Established startups in the sports business space that have existing/innovative products, services, or technologies; and currently have traction, revenue and employ scalable business models with potential for national or international impact.
• We are looking for the best companies that are “investible,” have founders that are “mentor-able,” and give Stadia Ventures the best opportunity to accelerate them.
• We are not looking for the best investment…we are looking for the best companies we can accelerate, which will turn into the best investment.

Is There Anything Else I Should Know As I Evaluate These Companies?

• This is not a “best pitch” competition, nor is it a “best business plan” competition. When qualitatively evaluating a finalist, please keep in mind the services Stadia Ventures may be able to facilitate to strengthen an area of weakness within the business.
• We are looking to attract the best entrepreneurial talent to the area. As such, the character, abilities, and value-additive nature of the team matters to us.

What Other Rock Stars Besides Myself Are Attending?

• You can find the Judge Bio Booklet here.

Will I Have Time To Network?

• Yes…TONS! During the pitches, you will be sitting with 4-7 different individuals each day, and we’ve embedded in deliberation time. Additionally, between the Pitch Demos, the Demo Social, Global Demo Day, and the Global Demo Day VIP Social, you’ll come close to knowing just about everyone in the room.

Who Will I Sit Next To?

• Each table will have 5-7 judges which we have arranged ahead of time. For those who requested specific table mates, we have done our best to accommodate. For those who didn’t, we have specifically chosen your table mates for a reason. We assure you the conversations will be good!

What Can I Share On Social Media?

• Feel free to post about the event on social media! You can use the company’s and finalists’ names, but please do not share any of the information presented to you.

What Are The “Rules of Engagement”?

We know that there will likely be some startups that you see pitch at the event that you’re really intrigued by and might want to acquire/consult/invest/partner with afterwards. That’s part of the reason we created and structured the event the way we do. While we want to see relationships like that flourish, we do ask all judges and guests to follow a few simple rules when it comes to engaging with startups post-Finalist Pitch Day:

1. Keep all information shared by either the startups or judges during the course of the event in complete confidence given its sensitive nature.

2. Do not strike outside deals (business or investing) before Stadia completes negotiations with the startups. Stadia will notify you when the cohort has been finalized, which is a green light for you to continue your discussions.

3. Before entering any deal after the cohort has been finalized, please leverage Stadia and its additional due diligence materials to ensure you have all available information when making an acquisition/consulting/investment/partnership decision. Stadia has saved many a bad decision (and friendship).

What Should I Know About Transportation?

• You will fly in to St. Louis Lambert Airport, and it is located around 30 minutes from the hotel and event locations. Uber and taxi services will be available.
• We will be unable to provide transportation during the events; however, the hotel and our event locations are all within a 10-minute ride from each other, and Uber and taxi services will be available.

Where Should I Stay?

• If you are in need of a hotel, please consider the St. Louis Union Station Hotel (1820 Market St, St. Louis, MO 63103).
• We have a reduced rate of $109/night available; it is a 10-minute drive from all event locations.
• To book, please click here. If the link does not work, please call 1-800-325-0720 and reference Group Name: Stadia Group Final.

What Is The Weather Going To Be Like?

• Tues (Jan 21): Cloudy, H: 32, L: 22
• Wed (Jan 22): Cloudy, H: 38, L: 31
• Thur (Jan 23): Chance of rain, H: 36, L: 32

Who Do I Contact If I Need Something?

• Mike Bynum will be managing most of the logistics for the Finalist Pitch Day. His mobile number is (314) 267-0746‬ or his email address is [email protected].
• Tim Hayden can also be reached if needed at (314) 323-8842 or [email protected].
• If, for whatever reason, you’ll be arriving late to the pitches, please let Mike know as soon as possible.