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MassChallenge judges look for high-impact, high-potential startups, with a viable path to success and some traction/progress in their plans.  High-impact and high-potential mean a startup has a large addressable market and if successful, will have a significant impact on the problem it is trying to solve. 

MassChallenge offers zero-equity programs and a competition-based model to provide cash awards and other prizes to the top startups in the global network. We do not offer any investment or funding upfront but participating founders and program alumni can apply to compete for cash award prizes.  

Founders who apply to our program go through two rounds of judging. The first is an online application review, and the second is a virtual pitch in front of a panel of judges. Acceptance is determined by our diverse community of expert judges who have been recruited and trained to identify the highest-impact startups across industries. Judges will provide feedback that matches the criteria of the application and also provide a recommendation for participation along a scale from definitely no to definitely yes. 

MassChallenge is an industry agnostic network that supports early-stage startups across all industries. We rely on our community of expert judges to select the highest-potential solutions – regardless of whether startups are in direct or indirect competition with each other.  

MassChallenge offers zero-equity for zero-cost accelerators and does not charge an application fee to apply. All founders who participate in a MassChallenge program are not required to give up a financial stake in the future success of their company.  

While a formal business plan is not required to apply, many elements will be incorporated into the application, including the problem, solution, and impact of your venture. Should a startup advance into further judging rounds, a slide deck is highly encouraged if you are invited to participate in Round Two judging, which is a 20-minute virtual pitch session.  

Expectations for engagement and eligibility criteria to apply are as follows:   

• Adherence to all MassChallenge guidelines and terms  
• Commit to and sign the Founders Code by committing to:
  • Set and drive towards goals aligned with business value-creation  
  • Practice intention in everyday engagement  
  • Be an accountable member of the community  
• We do not require 100% attendance, but rather ask startups to commit to maximizing the ROI of the program by building and following through on an intentional engagement plan including workshops, speakers, mentors and events.   
• Completion of all accelerator surveys   

Protection of intellectual property rights (ex. patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets, etc.) of your concept is your responsibility and your responsibility alone. If you have an idea or product that you might want to patent, we recommend speaking to a lawyer before submitting information about this idea to MassChallenge.  

Information you include in your application will be shared with the set of expert judges for review. Please note that these judges do NOT sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). Therefore, you should not include any information in your application that you feel could be harmful to your company should that information be disclosed. 

Note that applying to MassChallenge is very similar to presenting your idea to potential investors. Very few investors (Venture Capitalists or “angel investors”) will agree to sign an NDA before even hearing your initial pitch. It is up to you to determine the right balance between sharing enough information to get people interested and to give you credibility – and sharing information that could potentially be damaging to your company if it were to be disclosed.  

Our 2022 program is fully virtual, and we offer a residency program that provides founders with a free workspace at our offices in Austin, Boston, Houston, Dallas, and Providence. Unfortunately, we don’t have the capability to provide scholarships or sponsorships for the founders who wish to participate in the residency program. We recommend you fundraise and budget for any relocation or commute to one of our early-stage program offices. If you are out of the country, it’s important to remember that you cannot work unlawfully while in the US while under a visitor visa.  

What are the visa requirements and what steps do I need to complete if I am coming from out of the country?  
If you choose to take part in our optional residency program, you will need a B1 or B2 visa. It is important not to use the word “work” in your visa application for either of these, as MassChallenge does not constitute as work. If you need a letter from MassChallenge as proof of your reason in the country. Please reach out to earlystage@masschallenge.org, and include each team member’s name and title that will be requiring a letter.  

You may also need to prove you have the financial resources to live in the US for the 4-month duration of the program, as well as proof you plan to return to your home country. Proof that you will return home country includes things like proof of home ownership, proof you are leaving a family behind, a letter from your business stating you will return to work on the startup which is based in your home country. 

It is important NOT to use the ESTA program (“visa waiver”) as you can only stay in the country for 90 days, after which you MUST leave and cannot return.  

• MassChallenge does not take equity from the startups we support (yes, really).  
• MassChallenge works with startups working in Healthcare & Life Sciences, Global Financial Services, Climate, Sustainable Food Systems, and Security & Resiliency.
• MassChallenge is a global network, which means more resources and more access for all founders. 
• MassChallenge is one of the largest accelerators in the world – which means more resources for participating founders. 
• MassChallenge uses a competition framework to facilitate our accelerator program: 
• We use two rounds of judging during the application process to select startups for the cohort. 
• Experts from the startup community serve as MassChallenge judges. 

MassChallenge judges look for high-impact startups, with a viable path to success and some traction/progress in their plans.

If you still have questions, reach out to programs@masschallenge.org.