Epipelagic Ventures Pitch Day

1. Overview

These Terms and Conditions (the "Terms") govern participation in the Epipelagic Ventures Pitch Day competition (the "Competition") scheduled for July 16, 2026, at Epipelagic Ventures HQ, Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA. By submitting an application, applicants agree to be bound by these terms in full.

The Competition is organized by Epipelagic Ventures Management LLC ("Epipelagic Ventures", "we," "us," or "our"). We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the Competition at any time in our sole discretion.

2. Eligibility

To be eligible to apply and participate, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be a founder or co-founder of an early-stage startup at the pre-seed or seed stage
• Be based in New England
• Have at least one customer, pilot user, or waitlist signup
• Be available to attend in person on July 16, 2026, in Cambridge, MA
• Submit a pitch deck at the time of application

Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of Epipelagic Ventures are not eligible to participate.

3. Application

Applications must be submitted through the official application form at epipelagic.vc/pitch-day by June 24, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. No applications will be accepted after this deadline under any circumstances.

By submitting an application, you confirm that all information provided is accurate and complete. Epipelagic Ventures reserves the right to disqualify any applicant who provides false or misleading information.

Submission of an application does not guarantee selection as a finalist.

4. Selection of Finalists

10 finalists will be selected by the Epipelagic Ventures investment team based on the following criteria:

• Problem and market need
• Solution and product clarity
• Market opportunity
• Business model
• Customer traction
• Competitive advantage
• Team strength
• Overall "wow" factor

Epipelagic Ventures reserves the right to modify, supplement, or revise these criteria at any time, in its sole discretion, as it deems necessary to ensure a fair and effective evaluation process.

All selection decisions are made at the sole discretion of Epipelagic Ventures and are final. Finalists will be notified personally by July 1, 2026. Non-finalists will receive a written notification by the same date.

5. Finalist Obligations

By accepting a finalist position, you agree to the following:

• Submit your final pitch deck by July 10, 2026
• Participate in one or two pitch coaching sessions with the Epipelagic Ventures team prior to the event
• Attend the Competition event in person on July 16, 2026, in Cambridge, MA
• Deliver a 5-minute pitch and demo followed by a 7-minute Q&A on the day of the Competition event

Failure to meet any of these obligations may result in disqualification and forfeiture of any prize entitlement.

6. Prizes

The prize pool for the Competition is as follows:

• 1st Place: $10,000
• 2nd Place: $7,000
• 3rd Place: $5,000

Prizes will be awarded as cash payments to the winners and will be disbursed by check or wire transfer. Prizes are non-transferable and may not be substituted or exchanged for any other form of compensation.

Winners are solely responsible for any applicable federal, state, or local taxes arising from receipt of a prize. Winners will be required to submit a completed Form W-9. Epipelagic Ventures will issue any tax reporting forms required by applicable law.

All prize decisions made by the judging panel are final and binding. No correspondence will be entered into regarding judging decisions.

7. Intellectual Property

Applicants and finalists retain full ownership of all intellectual property submitted as part of their application or presented during the Competition, including pitch decks, business concepts, and product demonstrations.

By submitting an application, you grant Epipelagic Ventures a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reference your company name and participation in the Competition for marketing and promotional purposes only, including in social media posts, press releases, and website content.

Epipelagic Ventures will not share your pitch deck or confidential business information with any third party without your express written consent.

8. Data and Privacy

By submitting an application, you consent to Epipelagic Ventures collecting and storing the personal and business information provided in your application, including your name, email address, company name, company stage, sector, LinkedIn URL, and pitch deck.

This information will be used solely for the purposes of:

• Reviewing and evaluating your application
• Communicating with you regarding your application status
• Adding you to the Epipelagic Ventures community newsletter (you may unsubscribe at any time)

We will not sell or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. For full details, please refer to our Privacy Policy at epipelagic.vc/privacy-policy.

9. Photo and Video Consent

By attending the Competition as a finalist or audience member, you consent to being photographed, filmed, and recorded during the event. This content may be used by Epipelagic Ventures for marketing, promotional, and social media purposes, without further compensation or notification.

If you do not consent to being photographed or filmed, please notify the Epipelagic Ventures team in writing before July 16, 2026.

10. Conduct

All participants, finalists, judges, and audience members are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respectfully at all times. Epipelagic Ventures reserves the right to remove any individual from the Competition or disqualify any applicant or finalist for conduct deemed inappropriate or disruptive.

11. Limitation of Liability

Epipelagic Ventures is not responsible for any technical failures, errors, interruptions, delays, or other issues that may affect the submission, receipt, review, or evaluation of applications.

By participating in the Competition, applicants agree that participation is at their own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Epipelagic Ventures, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and representatives shall not be liable for any loss, damage, injury, cost, expense, or claim arising out of or related to participation in the Competition, attendance at any Competition-related event, acceptance or use of any prize, or any technical or administrative errors associated with the Competition.

In no event shall Epipelagic Ventures be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages arising from or related to the Competition.

12. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Any disputes arising from participation in the Competition shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Massachusetts.

13. Contact

For any questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, please contact us at:

Epipelagic Ventures Management LLC
1 Broadway, Suite 15-100
Cambridge, MA 02142
events@epipelagic.vc