We define start-ups as any new business that has the potential to scale fast, is agile and often has a characteristic driven by technology or innovation.

Yes, we welcome start-ups from any industry to participate in our contest and present us the problems you’re solving with your solutions.

The process to participate as a start-up is really simple and designed to only take the minimum time required, but give you maximum benefit for your input.

All you’ll need to do is:
 1.   Submit an application form. If you have a pitch deck ready, this should take you no more than 2 minutes.
 2.   If you’re shortlisted in the top companies selected to pitch at our online event, aside from the time to practice your killer pitch, the event will take 2 hours with 3 minutes allocated to each pitch and 2 minutes for Q&A.

That’s it!

The top 15 start-ups selected will receive valuable feedback from investors and experts from leading African companies. Winners across each category will be awarded with individual consultations with the experts from the panel of judges, access to a closed community of The Burning Heroes Association, perks from our partners, as well as mentions in the media!

To participate in this contest it is not mandatory to have a registered company. We want to see ideas that have vast potential.

We recommend applying even if you are not confident in your deck. We pay much more attention to your ability to grow based on the market fit, product design, and the technology you are leveraging. If we can see this we will help you to improve your pitch and materials.

In addition to the experience, the Top 15 participants will receive a unique certificate stating that you took part in the Burning Heroes Australia Startup Awards. Winners will also receive an electronic badge that they can share on their website or social media.

It is completely free to enter in the competition and there are no hidden costs. Burning Heroes is a not-for-profit organisation focused purely on positive impact. The organising team is made up 100% by volunteers who are just passionate about seeing start-ups thrive! We also keep our costs low by hosting the pitch event online, which also makes it more accessible to participants from across the country.

The pitch event will invite all top 15 start-ups shortlisted to pitch to our panel of judges. Each start-up will have a maximum of 3 minutes to pitch, and then 2 minutes will be allocated for Q&A from the judging panel.

At the end of the event, the judges’ scores will be tallied and the winners should be notified by email and officially announced in 2 days!