Calling all entrepreneurs! Get ready for Vator Splash SF

Like other Splash events and competitions, CEOs and/or founders of 10 companies, chosen by their peers and vetted by judges, will have the opportunity to present onstage and give a three-minute presentation in front of some 400 business professionals, comprising of executives from startups and large companies, angel investors, VCs, and media.

Vator will hold its bi-annual SF Splash event at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco, on the evening of September 27.

To be among the top 10 promising start-up presenters, you must apply by joining this competition.

Even though success is not defined by how much money a company has raised, Thumbtack, Getable, Grovo, Astrid, Udemy, and Geeklist have gone on to raise millions of dollars collectively from venerable VCs, soon after presenting at Splash.

"The process of inviting everyone one we knew to vote for us, even before the event, was a fantastic way to build support for our company. Then presenting at Vator Splash was a blast. The short presentation style ensured the audience was engaged and the follow-up questions from the judges were on-point and constructive. At Vator Splash, I made great connections with a number of investors and had a number of follow-up meetings. We were able to raise our last round entirely from investors who discovered us from the publicity we generated from Vator Splash," said Jon Paris, CEO and founder of Astrid.

"Working with Vator, and Bambi, is a pleasure. She's really passionate about uniting great ideas with the right people. We actually tied for first in last years Vator Splash SF and as a direct result raised $150,000 from an investor who saw us pitch. TEEC Angels approached us right at the event and invested soon thereafter. Reuben Katz, CEO and founder of Geeklist.

"Vator has acted as a launchpad for my startup in terms of awareness and exposure. As a winner of a Vator competition, my startup enjoyed early traction and buzz. Vator has kept my business relevant in the minds of investors, entrepreneurs and potential employees. I've made many invaluable connections to the investor and entrepreneur community." Tim Hyer, founder and CEO, Getable.

"DogVacay.com won Vator Splash LA in June 2012. The competition allowed us an opportunity to meet and pitch against some of the great Los Angeles startups and further foster our entrepreneurial community. There was such a positive energy with so many great minds providing insightful feedback throughout the night. Two paws up, Vator!" Aaron Hirschhorn, founder & Top Dog, Dog Vacay "Events like Vator Splash are critical for startups to generate awareness. We were a top 10 finalist for Splash LA. It provided us with an amazing opportunity to network and gain exposure to a whole community of investors and VCs. Soon after, we raised $3M as a result of the momentum/exposure from the event and the platform in general." Peter Vogel, founder of Plink. The Top 10 finalists win:

- The opportunity to give a three-minute presentation onstage.

- A professional video of their presentation produced by Vator

- A free ticket to the event, and discounted tickets for their network

- Discounted tickets for future Vator events

- A bottle of wine, courtesy Cult of 8

- $500 of free outsourced work, courtesy Ziptask

At the night of the event, the judges will choose the overall Splash winner. The audience will choose the People's Choice winner.

The Splash winner will get:

-- Professional video of his/her presentation

-- One-hour sit-down meeting with Javelin Venture Partners

-- A magnum of wine, courtesy Cult of 8

-- A demo table at the next Splash event

-- Discounts to Vator events

-- The opportunity to be an online judge for the next Splash

-- Two hours legal consultation, courtesy DLA Piper

-- Two hours accounting consultation, courtesy Grant Thornton

The Splash People's Choice Award will get:

-- One-hour sit-down with Javelin Venture Partners

-- A magnum of wine, courtesy Cult of 8

-- Discounts to Vator events

-- Demo table at the next Splash event

-- Two hours legal consultation, courtesy DLA Piper

-- Two hours accounting consultation, courtesy Grant Thornton

Vator Splash is hosted by Bambi Francisco. Investors from top VC firms, such as 500 Startups, Alsop Louie, Andreessen Horowitz, AngelPad, AOL Ventures, August Capital, Battery Ventures, Bessemer, Betaworks, BlueRun, Bullpen Capital, Blumberg, Canaan, Claremont, Crosslink Capital, DFJ, Emergence Capital, Felicis, First Round, Founders Fund, Freestyle Captial, Greycroft, Greylock, Google Ventures, Hummer Winblad, IVP, Industry Ventures, IDG Ventures, Javelin Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed, Mayfield, Morgenthaler, North Bridge, Polaris, Redpoint, RRE Ventures, Rustic Canyon, Shasta Ventures, Softech VC, SV Angels LLC, Norwest, NYC Seed, Scale, Technology Crossover Ventures, Techstars, Venrock and more will be attending or have attended our events.

To be among the top 10 promising start-up presenters, you must apply by joining this competition.