Startup 2009 Conference

Hello!
We're pleased to announce the Startup 2009 conference, which will take place in New York during Internet Week on Wednesday, June 3.  The conference is co-hosted by Silicon Alley Insider, New York University's Stern School of Business, General Catalyst, SoftBank, and Venrock.  Startup 2009 will showcase 10 top startups competing for bragging rights, buzz, and a $50,000 prize.

We're contacting you to let you know more about the contest and find out how to best promote this opportunity to your students.

In the contest, emerging online companies are invited to submit applications to present at the conference. We will circulate your application to our panel of VCs and experts.  We will then choose 10 finalists from the pool of applicants to present on stage.

Applying to the conference is free*, and all companies that apply to the conference will be evaluated by General Catalyst, Softbank, and Venrock for possible investment.  One of the finalists will also win a $50,000 prize, which will consist of a $25,000 cash investment from General Catalyst Partners and $25,000 of in-kind services.  The latter will include:

• Up to 6 months of office space in NYC.
• Marketing campaign with Silicon Alley Insider.
• Legal services from a top-notch law firm.

For more information about the contest and the conference, please visit http://www.businessinsider.com/startup2009

If you have ideas on how to promote this to your students, whether it be a e-mail list serve or an old-fashioned bulletin board, please let me know. If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. I look forward to hearing from you!

Best regards,
Rachel