The Californer - TCVN Survivor XI Startup Pitch Competition at OC Innovation Week Announces More Value for Founders

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$150 ticket gets Founders exclusive VIP access to multiple OCIW events to get pitch polished, investor ready, and in the room to connect with top Funders.

IRVINE, Calif. - Californer -- Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN) is proud to announce the return of Survivor™ XI, Southern California's premier fast-pitch startup competition, happening Tuesday, May 6 at The Cove at UCI, as a flagship event of OC Innovation Week (OCIW).

This year's Survivor is the largest and most founder-focused event in its 11-year history — combining high-stakes competition, game-changing exposure, and a week of networking with top-tier investors, mentors, and innovation leaders.

Biggest Highlights Yet:

Keynote Announcement by OG Arabian Prince, founding member of N.W.A. and founder of INOV8 Capital, who will announce his brand-new mission focused $150M WYA Fund to invest in visionary and underrepresented founders.
LabX Ventures joins as our official podcast sponsor, recording live at Survivor. All Lightning Round contestants can pre-record a 30-sec pitch while in line. Judges will be featured in live podcast interviews throughout the day.
10-8 Systems and UCI ANTrepreneur Center have each sponsored 25 FREE tickets for students, inviting young entrepreneurs into the innovation ecosystem.
New Initiative: Fund a Founder – a direct way for community leaders and organizations to contribute to the Survivor XI cash prize fund, helping us put capital directly in the hands of promising startups.

Every Survivor Ticket Includes:

Live PitchPolish™ Workshop on Tuesday, April 29 – sharpen your pitch before the big day.
Access to the OCIW Opening Reception on Monday, May 5 – Cinco de Mayo party with investors, founders & VIPs. ($55 value)
VIP Admission to Startup 2 Scaleup on Tuesday, May 6, the pre-Survivor founder bootcamp.
30-sec Lightning Round Pitch Opportunity on Tuesday, May 6 — every attendee can pitch live for FREE!
Exclusive Networking with judges, sponsors, and investor attendees.

Every Survivor Semifinalist Prize Includes:

General Admission ticket to TIF (Tech Innovation Forum) on Thursday May 8 ($750 Value)

The Final Survivor Winner Prize Includes:

Golden ticket to pitch on Octane's Fast Pitch main stage on Wednesday May 7 ($995 value)
Invitation to Octane's VIP Investor Reception on Wednesday May 7 ($400 value)
Survivor Golden Skull
Cash prize (funded by Fund a Founder contributors)

Competition Format:

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Survivor XI follows a 3-round format:

Lightning Round: First-come, first-served 30-second open mic pitches. Top 10 judge-selected winners move forward.
Semi-Finals: 90-second pitch to a panel of investor judges. Top 3 judge-selected winners advance.
Finals: 3-minute pitch + 2-minute Q&A. Judges select the 2025 Final Survivor XI Winner.

Esteemed Judges:

John Wiet (Octane LaunchPad SBDC), Shaun Sanders (Octane LaunchPad SBDC), Pat Hwang (TCA Venture Group OC), David Friedman (Chairman Emeritus, TCA OC), Farrah Khan (Former Mayor of Irvine), Stephanie Granato (Electa Capital), Amir Barsoum (Invitro Capital), Ashish Saboo (TiE Angels), Chi Pham (Founders Flow), Isabelle Bart (Impact Innovator), Scott Fox (OC Startup Council), Ryan Foland (UCI Antrepreneur Center), Cynthia West (Chapman Leatherby Center), and Roger Lloyd (SBDC).

TCVN x Octane: A Strategic Partnership

Survivor XI is part of TCVN's broader mission to help founders become fundable. Through its PitchPolish™ and InvestorReady™ programs, and in collaboration with Octane's LaunchPad SBDC Accelerator, TCVN prepares startups for real capital opportunities. This partnership empowers founders to refine their strategy and connect with capital, culminating in opportunities like Octane's Fast Pitch.

Tickets, sponsorships, and "Fund a Founder" contributions are available now at lu.ma/survivor.
View the full OC Innovation Week lineup at https://octaneoc.org/ociw.

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About TCVN
Tech Coast Venture Network™ (TCVN™) is celebrating it's 40th year anniversary as a non-profit community support organization on a mission to help create economic and social impact by helping first-time founders become fundable. We are positioned in the ecosystem "between the i's": idea and investment." To help Founders in our community become Pitch-Polished™ and Investor-Ready™, we host three annual signature events, Survivor™ fast-pitch competition, Wingz™ angel investor speed dating, and Rocky™ founders choice award holiday celebration for charity.