A non-refundable $200 entry fee is required from all applicants who would like to be considered for participation in the event. All LAUNCHedu entrants will be given the chance to register to attend SXSWedu at the early bird rate of $195, if they are not chosen as a LAUNCHedu finalist.

No refund will be given to any application that has been submitted. If you have any concerns regarding our fees and/or the application process please contact launch@sxswedu.com prior to submitting an application.

Application fees are accepted online by credit card through the SXSWedu Shopping Cart. To request payment by check or money order, contact launch@sxswedu.com.

If your LAUNCHedu event entry is NOT accepted, you will be given the opportunity to register to attend SXSWedu at the early bird rate of $195.

Each company will be allowed to submit only one product / service for this year’s event. Companies who submit more than one product / service will not be eligible to participate in the LAUNCHedu event.

Yes, participating companies will receive two (2) complimentary registrations to SXSWedu 2013. These complimentary registrations must be assigned to specific individuals presenting at the conference.

The application deadline is Friday, November 9 at 5:00pm CST.

Our LAUNCHedu Advisory Board consisting of education industry experts and venture capitalists will screen each application to make sure that they meet all requirements, and review each entry to decide which products / services are selected as participating finalists.

All applicants will receive an email notification from SXSWedu upon the selection of their application.

Applicants will be notified of their status no later than Friday, February 1, 2013.

If accepted, each product or service will receive up to 10 minutes for round one and 15 minutes for round two (if you are asked to move on to this round), to present their idea to a jury panel of venture capitalists, successful entrepreneurs and education practitioners. Each company will have a microphone and may use a slide presentation (with no additional A/V). Please note that time estimates are subject to change.

Each participating organization will have only one company representative presenting to the judges and one additional person can be off stage controlling the slide presentation. SXSWedu will not provide staff to support you with your stage presentation, so each company must have a second company representative to assist with the presentation.

The judging panel will be comprised of venture capitalists, successful entrepreneurs and education practitioners who will be able to effectively evaluate each startup organization based on their own unique experiences in the education industry.

The evaluating of each company’s application will be based on many factors but the four criteria below are the main elements. Creativity (Originality of Idea)
Potential (Longevity, Actualization and Profitability of idea)
Functionality (Usability of interface for idea)
Team / People (Who is your team and how will they make your company a success?)

Having a video that you can include within the online application process via a direct link to a website is helpful in the judging of your company, but not essential.

Yes, you are welcome to submit one application to each competition.

Plans are to recognize one winner of each category who will be presented his/her award at the conclusion of the event.

The winning companies will receive premium prize packages containing valuable education-related goodies. Specific prizes will be announced as the event date approaches.

LAUNCHedu is open to all SXSWedu registrants.

Industry leaders, education innovators, investors, and startups are some folks who would benefit from participating in LAUNCHedu.

Programming for LAUNCHedu is still being determined. Check back often for the most up-to-date information and learn about the finalists.