Global Community Partner Spotlight: Founders Live
All you need is 99 seconds, and you could change your startup’s path through Founders Live! This weekly pitch competition is one of CodeLaunch’s global community partners. We caught up with Founder and CEO Nick Hughes to get more details on their quickly growing community.
What Is Founders Live?
During the competition, startup founders get 99 seconds to pitch their idea to a live audience. Then, they get 4 minutes of questioning by the people in attendance. Anyone from family members to VCs are usually at the live event.
“The confidence boost that happens at our competitions can put someone on a different path,” Nick said. “Even if they do not win, Founders Live polishes their message and gets them in front of an audience sometimes for the first time, causing them to become more successful.”
Founders Live is held in almost 100 cities in 35 countries. The competition started in Seattle in 2014 to celebrate entrepreneurship throughout the local community. It did so well that it became a staple in the Seattle startup community until the word got out to other major metropolitan areas across the country and even the world.
Without hesitation, Nick decided to take his competition on tour and that’s how it became the global competition we know today.
“Our vision is to be the world’s largest ecosystem and brand that drives early-stage entrepreneur activities,” Nick said.
CodeLaunch x Founders Live Partnership
CodeLaunch and Founders live have similar missions: to help seed startups grow and become successful! However, Nick told us there are a lot of things that CodeLaunch can provide to his audience that they do not. He said this is what makes the partnership so special.
“We’re clearly pointing in the same direction,” Nick said. “But it’s cool that CodeLaunch and Founders Live have different specific things we can provide. We continue to point our startups toward CodeLaunch and we will for a long time.”
The Future of Founders Live
As Nick and his team learned how to continue Founders Live throughout the pandemic, a new idea emerged called Center Stage. This is a digital show that happens exactly an hour before the weekly live event. They also now stream the pitch competition to let their global audience stay engaged. They are hoping to grow this virtual community while also keeping Founders Live a locally-centered event.
“While these events are about community and in-person fun, we also want to make it a global experience through online venues,” Nick told us.
You can go to the Founders Live website to learn more about the event series and to find out if one is happening near you!
Remember, CodeLaunch is making its way back to Dallas on November 16th. Find out more about this event here!
