Applying to MAP? Here’s the breakdown of MAP’s selection criteria!

Since launching MAP in 2012, we’ve seen hundreds of applications and heard as many pitches. Each year, we receive over 100 applications for 10 spots, so if you’re planning on applying, it’s important to know what we look for in your application and pitch to give you the best chance at snagging an interview.

Crafting a winning pitch

Pitching is an integral part of the MAP selection process: there’s a 3-minute video pitch that is part of the application, a 3-minute pitch at the Selection Pitch Night and a 3-minute pitch at the final selection interview.

It’s a great way to be able to tell your story concisely. Watch some great examples of pitches on our website and check out our top tips on putting your pitch together.

Selection criteria

We look at a number of different areas of your startup to assess whether MAP is the best home for you. We select startups based on different aspects of their business, such as:

Problem: What is the problem you’re solving and how big is the problem? How have you validated that the problem exists?

Solution: How does your solution appropriately address the problem? Is it technically feasible, financially viable and desirable by the users/customers? Is the solution built with technical or market insight or both?

Team: Why are you the right team to solve this problem? What is your team background and what evidence do you have of your ability to execute?

Market opportunity: How big is the market? What phase is the market for your product/service at: rising, topping or declining? Does the market provide enough opportunity for you to grow your business now and into the future?

Traction: Often a confusing concept for early-stage founders. What we’re interested to know is what progress your startup has made so far. This could be the insights gathered through early conversations with your customers, recurring revenue that your startup has, or your monthly churn rate. While it’s great to hear about the grant your startup received or the awards and recognition that your startup has garnered, we’re keen to understand how they interplay with your customers. Seed investments are a great way to showcase the evidence of traction but what’s most important is showcasing your progress with your customers.

Why MAP: We often get people saying they want to be part of MAP because of mentorship or community. Make it really clear what MAP can do for you and how you can contribute to MAP. What delights us is hearing how and where we can really add value to your startup — we encourage you to be quite specific. For example:

• My startup is in the furniture industry and it would be a great opportunity to learn from Ivan Lim, founder of Brosa (MAP 2016) whom I have been following for many years.
• We’d love to get access to the Telstra Creator Space in Melbourne Connect to design our prototype.

In summary:

• 3 minutes is not a long time, so don’t spend a lot of time explaining the problem in your pitch.
• Don’t pitch us your product/service. Pitch us your business!
• Focus on traction and show us evidence of what you have done so far.
• Have a compelling reason for joining MAP specifically.

All the best with your application.

By Laxmi Pun | MAP Program Manager