Ah, February, the shortest month of the year. That’s good news if you’re pining for the warmer spring months. But it also means you have only 28 days left to complete your Snowflake Startup Challenge entry by the March 1, 2023 deadline!
Time to gather the team, fire up a motivational song (perhaps “Final Countdown” or “Don’t Stop Me Now”? Maybe a little Dolly Parton?), and kick things into high gear. Remember, this year’s prize pool is richer than ever with Snowflake and NYSE working together to recognize startups building innovative apps on Snowflake. Don’t miss your chance at a share of up to $1 million in investment and global marketing exposure from Snowflake as well as exclusive mentorship and visibility opportunities from NYSE.
If you’re an early-stage startup and you haven’t yet registered for the Startup Challenge, do that right away—just fill out the interest form at https://www.snowflake.com/startupchallenge. If you’re already working on your app and prepping your pitch, here’s a just-the-facts summary of common contest questions to help make sure you’re on the right track (as always, check eligibility guidelines in the official rules for the nitty-gritty details).
Who can enter?
You must be an early-stage startup that has raised no more than $5 million in cash funding and is building apps and products on Snowflake. Check out the specific eligibility requirements in the official rules.
How do I enter?
Fill out the registration form at www.snowflake.com/startupchallenge. Once you’ve confirmed your interest, you’ll be directed to the application. March 1 is the final day to submit your completed application.
Is there an entry fee?
Nope! By registering your interest, you’ll also get access to an extended trial account with $400 in Snowflake credits.
What materials should be in my initial entry?
In addition to submitting information about how you use Snowflake as a core part of your application, you’ll need to provide:
- A company profile and names of your key team members
- A short description of the app and the problem it addresses
- Your startup’s competitive advantage and size of the opportunity
- A short demo of the app in use (5 minutes or less)
What if I need help with my entry?
Email questions to [email protected]. If you want some inspiration or how-to pointers for developing apps on Snowflake, check out the Snowflake Developers YouTube channel for tons of demos, QuickStart tutorials, builder Q&As, and more.
What are the judges looking for?
We’re looking for unique data apps that leverage the Data Cloud to address high-impact problems. Snowflake must be used as a core part of the architecture.
Here are the evaluation criteria:
- Innovation: Is your application original? What’s your competitive advantage?
- Business potential: What is the market opportunity? What need does your app meet, and how will it help Snowflake users?
- Use of Snowflake: Is the Data Cloud a central part of your app’s architecture? Does your app leverage a broad set of Snowflake features, such as Snowpark, data sharing, or UDFs?
- Ability to execute: Does your leadership team have the experience and passion to succeed?
Who are the judges?
Our grand prize judging panel includes Benoit Dageville, Snowflake’s Co-Founder and President of Product; Denise Persson, Snowflake’s CMO; Lynn Martin, NYSE Group’s President; and Carl Eschenbach, Partner at Sequoia Capital and co-CEO of Workday. (Note: The judging panel is subject to change. Please refer to the official rules for details.)
How does the judging process work?
There are three rounds of judging. In round one, the initial entries will be reviewed and narrowed down to 10 semi-finalists. In round two, the 10 semi-finalists will be interviewed and their apps evaluated; the top 3 will be selected as finalists. Round 3 will take place at Snowflake Summit 2023 in Las Vegas, where each of the top 3 finalists will present to the judging panel, who will choose the grand prize winner.
Is it worth my time to enter?
Yes. But don’t just take our word for it—check out what past Startup Challenge participants are saying about their experience, and what they’re building on Snowflake:
- Houseware Co-Founder and CEO Divyansh Saini offers tips for your application in this video—and since Houseware won the 2022 Snowflake Startup Challenge, it’s worth a listen. You can also get a deeper technical look at their revenue experience platform in the “Show Me Your Architecture: Houseware” webinar.
- Modelbit, a 2022 Snowflake Startup Challenge Top 3 Finalist, is developing products on Snowflake that bring data scientists closer to the data they need. Watch this Startup Spotlight video as Modelbit Founder and CEO Harry Glaser sits down with Snowflake’s Julian Forero to discuss how they came up with the idea for their startup, the role Snowflake plays, and how they’re helping to accelerate deployment of ML models.
- HyperFinity, another member of the 2022 Top 3 Finalists club, is a decision intelligence platform for retailers. Check out the “Show Me Your Architecture: HyperFinity” webinar for an in-depth discussion of the company’s data-intensive offering.
- The 2021 Finalists—Overlay Analytics (the grand prize winner), Elysium Analytics, and Invoke Learning—learned a few things as they broke new ground in the very first Snowflake Startup Challenge. Check out advice from Elysium and Invoke Learning here.
The Snowflake Data Cloud gives startups a powerful foundation for building data applications. We’ve removed traditional obstacles to working with data, like managing complex infrastructure or inaccessible, siloed data sources, so you can focus on building apps and growing your business. Three founders from companies in our Snowflake for Startups program—Adaptive Pulse, Anvilogic, and Paytronix—sat down for a chat about how they’re navigating competitive markets and the role of data and ML in their decision-making processes; get the full story in this video.
We want to see what you’re building on Snowflake
There are so many great ideas percolating in the startup sphere, and we can’t wait to see what you’ve been inventing in the Data Cloud. Don’t risk your entry turning into a pumpkin at 11:59 p.m. PT on March 1—get your submissions in now at www.snowflake.com/startupchallenge!
