Top 3 Finalists for The Perfect Pitch Competition with Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group

If you’ve been on Twitter, or if you’ve been following Venture Hype on Twitter, you should’ve heard about The Perfect Pitch Competition with Sir Richard Branson. We’d been tweeting frantically about the competition and so did you. More than 1,000 entrepreneurs from all 50 states, plus an additional 8 countries, entered the contest for an opportunity to pitch directly to celebrity VCs and billionaire Richard Branson at The Perfect Pitch Conference, scheduled for Monday, October 26th, 2009 at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey, California.

To create the “Perfect Pitch,” entrepreneurs were instructed to pitch a one-minute short video or a short written description that would compel investors to take a closer look at their business. In their pitches, entrepreneurs were expected to explain –

• the business
• the customer needs it fulfills
• the market size
• the competitive edge
• the strengths of the entrepreneur and his or her team
• and anything else that matters

The entries were STRONG. Venture Hype, represented by our very own Joey Lo, and other judges from August Capital, Baroda Ventures, Cal Cap Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, GRP Partners, Momentum Venture Management, Qualcomm Ventures, Rustic Canyon Partners, Santa Monica Capital Partners, Tech Coast Angels, PricewaterhouseCoopers, etc., were faced with tough choices but had finally narrowed selection down to 10 entrepreneurs, who were then interviewed by Dan Bliss, Founder and President of PerfectBusiness.

After yet another judging round, the Top 3 Finalists have been named, and each are given two VIP tickets to the conference, airfare to Los Angeles for the event, a 2-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton, and an opportunity to present their startups live at the event:

Drum roll …

• Didrick Medical Inc., offering patented, prosthetic fingers
• ICON Aircraft, offering the next Powersport — personal aircraft
• Vubiq Inc., presenting Gigabit per second speeds at consumer price points

Tagged as the “Entrepreneur & Investor Event of the Year,” the Perfect Pitch conference will bring together hundreds of influential entrepreneurs and investors for a day of learning and deal making. Conference judges represent more than US$10 billion in funds. And the conference will feature a number of presenters and breakout sessions designed to appeal to entrepreneurs and investors alike. Whether you are seeking to make connections, gather fresh ideas, or learn from those who have already traveled the path, this conference offers a little bit of everything.

How do you ensure the next pitch you hear will be the perfect pitch? Attending The Perfect Pitch 2009 Entrepreneur & Investor Conference sounds promising.