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"FUNding" COMPETITION Official Rules & Terms

Effective Date: 6/1/2025

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1. COMPETITION OVERVIEW

The "FUNding – Prove It Before You Build It" Pitch Competition ("Competition") is designed for founders (“Applicants”)seeking to validate their riskiest business assumptions through real-world experimentation. By participating, you agree to these Terms of Service ("Terms") with Moves The Needle Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Organizer”).

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2. ELIGIBILITY

Must be 18 years of age or older
Must apply on your own behalf, no representations whether you are an applicant, finalist, or winner
Must have legal capacity to enter into binding agreements
Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of Competition organizers and judges are not eligible
No limit on team size, but one person must be designated as primary contact

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3. COMPETITION PROCESS & TIMELINE

3.1 Application Phase

Complete application form (approximately 10 minutes)
Identify your venture's riskiest assumption
Explain your testing methodology
List required resources for testing
Upload 2-minute video to Bluesky or LinkedIn with designated hashtag/mention

3.2 Selection Phase

Up to 10 finalists will be selected on a rolling basis and all of them will be announced by July 17, 2025
Finalists receive custom resource packages tailored to their testing needs and must accept the package to confirm their finalist status. Product development resources will be provided, if needed to test your assumption; they are not solely for general product development
Selection criteria include clarity of the assumption and potential market opportunity, testing methodology, resource efficiency, and presentation quality
Finalist selections are final and not subject to appeal.

3.3 Experimentation Phase

Finalists will run real-world experiments using provided resources, including Moves The Needle’s proven Rapid Experimentation tools for testing assumptions, David Bland’s book Testing Business Ideas, and Brant Cooper’s Entrepreneur’s Guide to Customer Development.
Regular check-ins with a dedicated advisor will be required to track progress and as a condition for participating in the final pitch

3.4 Final Pitch Event (August 7, 2025)

Finalists present results and refined business concepts
Pitches judged by panel of select investors, entrepreneurs, and industry experts
Winner receives up to $2,500 plus additional growth resources

4. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Application Materials

All information must be accurate and complete
Video submissions must be 2 minutes or less
Video must be publicly posted on Bluesky or LinkedIn
Late or incomplete submissions will be disqualified
Submitted entries cannot be modified by Applicant.
Organizer is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, illegible, garbled, inaccurate, invalid, misdirected, undelivered, or delayed Applications.

4.2 Technical Specifications

Video format: MP4, MOV, or platform-native format
Quality: Minimum 720p resolution recommended
Audio must be clear and audible

5. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

5.1 Ownership

You retain all ownership rights to your business concept and materials
By submitting, you grant organizers a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use submission materials for promotional purposes related to this Competition

5.2 Confidentiality

Judges and organizers agree to maintain confidentiality of non-public and proprietary business information
Public video submissions are not considered confidential
Organizers will implement reasonable measures to protect proprietary information shared during the process

5.3 Third-Party Content

You warrant that all submitted materials are original or you have proper rights to use them
You indemnify organizers against any third-party IP claims related to your submissions

6. PRIZES AND AWARDS

6.1 Prize Structure

Winner: Up to $2,500 cash prize plus additional growth resources
All 10 finalists: Custom resource packages with no cash value
Specific resource details will be communicated to selected finalists

6.2 Prize Conditions

Cash prizes have no alternative substitution and are non-transferable
Winner must provide tax information as required by law
Winner is responsible for all applicable taxes on cash awards to any applicable tax authority in winner's jurisdiction, whether such jurisdiction be national, state, or local within the United States of America (including all fifty (50) states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories and possessions), or international jurisdictions outside the United States of America
Prize fulfillment within 30 days of competition conclusion

6.3 Resource Package Restrictions

Finalist resource packages have no monetary or cash value
Resources cannot be exchanged, sold, transferred, or assigned to third parties
Resources are for the exclusive use of the selected finalist and their designated venture
Resources must be used within period of the award (finalist notified) and final pitch or will be forfeited
Unused resources cannot be carried forward or exchanged for alternative resources
Organizers reserve the right to substitute resources of comparable utility if original resources become unavailable

7. JUDGING AND SELECTION

7.1 Judging Criteria

Applications and final pitches will be evaluated on:

Clarity and significance of identified assumption
Articulation of problem being solved by potential idea
Feasibility and creativity of testing approach
Effective use of provided resources
Business potential and scalability
Presentation quality and communication skills

7.2 Judging Process

Initial screening by organizer panel
Final judging by expert panel as announced
All judging decisions are final and binding
Organizer will make every attempt to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications

8. PARTICIPANT OBLIGATIONS

8.1 Conduct Requirements

Maintain professional behavior throughout the competition
Accept or reject the resource package if selected to be a Finalist by the deadline
Participate actively in finalist activities if selected
Utilize resources as intended and agreed upon
Provide accurate and timely information as requested
Comply with all deadlines and requirements

8.2 Publicity Consent

You consent to use of your name, likeness, and venture name for promotional purposes
This includes photography, video recording, and media coverage of competition events

9. COMPETITION MODIFICATIONS

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9.1 Right to Modify

Organizers reserve the right to:

Modify competition timeline due to circumstances beyond reasonable control
Update judging criteria
Cancel or suspend the competition for legal, technical, or safety reasons
Disqualify participants who violate these Terms

9.2 Communication

Material changes will be communicated via email to registered participants
Continued participation constitutes acceptance of modifications

10. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

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10.1 Disclaimer

THE COMPETITION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. ORGANIZERS DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

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10.2 Liability Limits

Organizers' total liability shall not exceed the value of prizes awarded
Organizers not liable for technical failures, delayed communications, or third-party actions
Applicants assume all risks associated with participation

10.3 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless organizers from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your participation or violation of these Terms.

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11. PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION

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11.1 Information Collection

Personal information collected solely for competition administration
Business information used for evaluation and resource allocation
Video submissions are public and not subject to privacy protections

11.2 Data Retention

Personal information retained for two years following competition
General business information may be retained for research and program improvement
You may request data deletion subject to legal requirements

12. GENERAL PROVISIONS

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12.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the State of California, United States law without regard to conflict of law principles.

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12.2 Dispute Resolution

All disputes will be resolved solely by binding arbitration and applicants waive the ability to bring claims in a class action format.

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12.3 Severability

If any provision is deemed invalid, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.

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12.4 Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between parties regarding the Competition.

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12.5 Contact Information

Questions regarding these Terms or the Competition should be directed to info@movestheneedle.com

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Applicants agree to these Official Rules and the decisions of the Organizer, and release and hold the Organizer, the judges, and all other entities involved in this Competition, as well as the employees, officers, directors and agents of each (the “Released Parties”), from all claims and liability relating to their participation in the Competition, and the acceptance and use/misuse of the prize offered. Entrants waive all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages. Finalists/Winner assume all liability for any injury or damage caused or claimed to be caused, by participation in this Competition or use/misuse or redemption of a prize. Organizer is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the Promotion or in the announcement of any prize.

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By submitting an application, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and Terms of Service.