With thousands of attendees, hundreds of thousands of online views, two incredible winners and $250,000 in funding distributed so far, the startup pitch competition Dreampitch is quickly becoming a favorite new tradition in the Salesforce Ohana. After all, there’s nothing more exciting and inspirational than turning the spotlight on some of the most innovative new startups — and watching them pitch their vision to a panel of all-star judges.

As part of the AppExchange team, I’ve seen firsthand the passion that Salesforce has for innovation and empowering start-up success. It’s the driving force behind Salesforce Ventures, our corporate venture arm, which has invested in more than 200 enterprise cloud startups in 14 different countries since 2009. And last year, the first ever Dreampitch competition at Dreamforce 2016 resulted in the perfect showcase of startups building amazing businesses.

This year we’re going bigger than ever! With the $250,000 investment from Salesforce Ventures as the grand prize, companies who have raised up to $5,000,000 will have an opportunity to make their mark at Dreamforce, the largest software conference in the world, attracting over 120,000+ attendees and 15+ million online viewers.

This is your chance. As an early-stage startup, every opportunity to showcase your company to potential customers, partners and investors is critical. And the opportunity to pitch to legendary investors and industry experts is an invaluable way to increase brand recognition and receive invaluable feedback.

So what are you waiting for? Read on to learn how you can put your startup on the main stage at Dreamforce 2017.

How can my startup participate in Dreampitch?

If your startup’s technology stack is built on or integrates with, the Salesforce Platform (Lightning, Force.com or Heroku), we want to hear from you. Apply online starting September 1, 2017; all applications must be received by October 1, 2017 in order to to be considered. Once all applications have been reviewed, three finalists will be chosen.   

The three selected finalists will pitch their startups on the main stage at Dreamforce, in front of thousands of attendees and a panel of judges comprised of industry leaders and business experts. This panel will choose one winner to receive a $250,000 investment opportunity from Salesforce Ventures.

What do I receive if I am a finalist?

If you are selected as one of the three Dreampitch finalists, you will receive:

• An opportunity to compete for a $250,000 USD investment from Salesforce Ventures

• Airfare and hotel accommodations for up to two presenters

• Two Dreamforce 2017 passes

• Total bragging rights
  
  

What’s the fine print?

To qualify for Dreampitch, your startup must fit the following criteria:

• Your technology stack has been built on or integrates with the Salesforce Platform (Lightning, Force.com or Heroku)

• Company must be based in and authorized to work in the United States

• Aggregate cash funding of entity is less than $5,000,000 USD since formation

• Current gross revenue is more than $100,000 annual run rate (based on company’s gross revenue from its most recent quarter, multiplied by four (4))

• You are an independent legal entity (LLC or C corp)

• Meet the eligibility criteria as described in the Official Rules

• You comply with the Official Rules

Applications close on October 1, 2017 at 11:59:59 PM, so apply soon. Ready, set, #Dreampitch!

The 2017 Salesforce Dreampitch at Dreamforce 2017 Contest entry period begins on September 1, 2017 8:00:00 am PT and ends on October 1, 2017 at 11:59:59 pm PT. Offer to participate available only for those entrants that meet the eligibility criteria as set forth in the Official Rules. Restrictions apply.