Survivor™ XI SoCal Startup Pitch Competition by TCVN™ at the Cove at UC Irvine as a part of OC Innovation Week
Southern California's Premier Startup Fast-Pitch Competition is Back!
Join TCVN for the 11th Annual Survivor™ Fast Pitch Competition on Tuesday May 6, during Orange County Innovation Week (OCIW) live at the Cove at UC Irvine.
Your Survivor ticket gets you access to these events:
- Tuesday, April 29: Live PitchPolish™ Workshop by Octane
- Monday, May 5: Cinco De Mayo Opening Reception ($55 value)
- Tuesday, May 6: Startup to Scale-up get InvestorReady™ panel ($400 value - invite only)
- Tuesday, May 6: Survivor Pitch Competition every attendee can pitch live for FREE! ($150 value)
- Tuesday, May 6: Keynote with OG Arabian Prince (N.W.A.), founding member of N.W.A. and founder of iNov8 Capital, who will announce his brand-new mission focused $150M WYA Fund to invest in visionary and underrepresented founders.
- Tuesday, May 6: Podcast interview with LabX Ventures® during Survivor
- Thursday May 8: Every Survivor Semifinalist Prize Includes a General Admission ticket to TIF (Tech Innovation Forum) ($750 Value)
The Final Survivor Winner Prize Includes:
- Wednesday May 7: Golden ticket to pitch on Octane's Fast Pitch main stage ($995 value)
- Wednesday May 7: Invitation to Octane's VIP Investor Reception ($400 value)
- Cash prize (funded by Fund a Founder contributors)
- The coveted Survivor Golden Skull
Students!
- 10-8 Systems and UCI ANTrepreneur Center have each sponsored FREE tickets for students, inviting young entrepreneurs into the innovation ecosystem. Limited quantity.
Competition Format:
Survivor XI follows a 3-round format:
⚡ Lightning Round: First-come, first-served 30-second open mic pitches. Top 10 judge-selected winners move forward. FREE pitch opportunity for anybody with a ticket.
🌟 Semi-Finals: 90-second pitch to a panel of investor judges. Top 3 judge-selected winners advance.
🥇 Finals: 3-minute pitch + 2-minute Q&A. Judges select the 2025 Final Survivor XI Winner.
Esteemed Judges:
John Wiet (Octane OC LaunchPad SBDC), Shaun Sanders, J.D. (VentureCraft, Inc.), Pat Hwang (TCA Venture Group Orange County), David Friedman (TCA Venture Group Orange County), Farrah N. Khan (CerraCap Cares), Stephanie Granato (Electa Capital Partners), Amir Barsoum (InVitro Capital), Ashish Saboo (TiE Angels), Anshuman Sinha (TiE Angels), Chi Pham (Founders Flow), Isabelle Bart 💡 (Impact Innovator), Scott Fox 🦊 (Orange County OC Startup Council), Ryan Foland ⛵️🏝️😎 (UCI ANTrepreneur Center), Cynthia West, Ph.D. (Chapman University), Roger L., David Ochi (California State University-Dominguez Hills), and Julia Vu 🎈 (Founder University Cohort 9) (The Event Community)
Thank You to our Sponsors:
UC Irvine UCI Beall Applied Innovation @ the Cove UCI ANTrepreneur Center Octane OC 10-8 Systems The Eli Home 7th Studios LabX Ventures® CRISPx | brand marketing agency Irvine Valley College Orange County OC Startup Council LYNX Enterprise The Smart Tarp Co. by Brand All, llc Startup Steroid - Deal Flow | SPVs | Demo Day Platform TCA Venture Group InVitro Capital Electa Capital Partners Granato Law Office Master Key IP, LLP VentureCraft, Inc. Santana Snacks TiE Angels Chapman University Founders Flow The Event Community OneDigital Persuasive Business Plans CerraCap Cares Impact Innovator
TCVN x Octane: A Strategic Partnership
Survivor XI is part of TCVN's broader mission to help founders become fundable. Through its PitchPolish™ and InvestorReady™ programs, and in collaboration with Octane's LaunchPad SBDC Accelerator, TCVN prepares startups for real capital opportunities. This partnership empowers founders to refine their strategy and connect with capital, culminating in opportunities like Octane's Fast Pitch.
Tickets, sponsorships, and "Fund a Founder" contributions are available now at lu.ma/survivor.
View the full OC Innovation Week lineup at octaneoc.org/ociw.
About TCVN
Tech Coast Venture Network™ (TCVN™) is celebrating it's 40th year anniversary as a non-profit community support organization on a mission to help create economic and social impact by helping first-time founders become fundable. We are positioned in the ecosystem "between the i's": idea and investment." To help Founders in our community become Pitch-Polished™ and Investor-Ready™, we host three annual signature events, Survivor™ fast-pitch competition, Wingz™ angel investor speed dating, and Rocky™ founders choice award holiday celebration for charity.
Join our community as a TCVN Member for only $20.84/year to receive member benefits of event discounts, exclusive content, and an official LinkedIn verification badge. Visit tcvn.org/join to become a member today!