PitchVault × 3P Ventures Pitch Prize

These Official Rules and Terms (the “Rules”) govern participation in the PitchVault × 3P Ventures Pitch Prize (the “Programme”). By entering the Programme, you agree to these Rules in full. If you do not agree to these Rules, you are not eligible to enter.

1. Sponsor

The Programme is sponsored and administered by PitchVault, an initiative of 3P Ventures (collectively, the “Sponsor”). The Sponsor’s decisions on all matters relating to the Programme are final and binding.

2. The Programme is a skill-based selection process

The Programme is a skill-based selection process designed to identify pre-seed and seed-stage founders whose deck and underlying company merit consideration for a private investment from 3P Ventures. The Programme is not a sweepstakes, raffle, lottery, or game of chance, and no element of selection is determined by chance.

3. No purchase necessary

No purchase, payment, or subscription is required to enter or to be selected as the Winner. A free PitchVault account, a deck upload, and a published VaultScore™ are required to qualify, and these are available at no cost.

4. Eligibility

To enter the Programme, you must:

1. Be at least 18 years of age (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction of residence, whichever is older) at the time of entry;
2. Be a founder, co-founder, or authorised officer of a legal entity (the “Company”) that is at the pre-seed or seed stage of fundraising. Companies that have closed a Series A or later round are not eligible;
3. Have legal authority to act on behalf of the Company and to bind it to the terms of any investment that may follow from the Programme;
4. Maintain an active PitchVault account in good standing;
5. Have at least one scored analysis on a current deck for the Company on PitchVault;
6. Comply with all applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction of residence and the Company’s jurisdiction of incorporation.

Employees of the Sponsor, employees and partners of 3P Ventures, and members of their immediate families and households are not eligible. Founders of companies in which 3P Ventures has an existing investment may not enter for the same company.

The Programme is void where prohibited by applicable law. Participation may be limited or unavailable in certain jurisdictions.

5. Entry period

The Programme is not currently open. The entry period, including the start date, the deadline for submissions, and the selection date, will be set out in the final version of these Rules published on this page at the time the Programme launches.

6. How to enter

To enter, an eligible Entrant must, during the entry period:

1. Hold a PitchVault account and upload the Company’s current pitch deck for analysis;
2. Complete the Company profile and Founder Profile fields required for Programme entry;
3. Submit an entry form indicating intent to enter the Programme and accepting these Rules in full;
4. Consent to public listing. By entering, the Entrant consents to public display of the Company’s name, one-line description, stage, sector, and VaultScore™ on PitchVault Programme surfaces (including a public leaderboard, the marketing site, and announcement materials) during and after the Programme. See Section 12 for the full list of information that may be published.
5. Be willing to participate in a structured vetting round if shortlisted (see Section 7).

Only one entry per Company is permitted. Multiple entries from the same Company, co-founders, or affiliated parties will be consolidated into a single entry at the Sponsor’s discretion. Entries made through scripts, bots, anonymised decks, or any automated means are void.

7. Judging and selection

Selection is conducted in two stages, both of which are skill-based:

1. Quantitative stage. Entries are ranked by VaultScore™ on the Entrant’s most recent analysis. Score history, lens balance, and movement between deck versions are considered. A shortlist is drawn from the highest-scoring Entrants that have cleared the investor-visibility threshold with no deal-breaker flags.
2. Qualitative vetting round. Shortlisted Entrants will be invited to participate in a structured vetting round conducted by the Sponsor and partners at 3P Ventures. The vetting round may include written submissions, founder interviews, reference checks, market and competitive review, and standard pre-investment diligence.

The Sponsor’s and 3P Ventures’ selection decisions at every stage are final, binding, and made at their sole discretion. No Entrant has any right or entitlement to be selected. Failure to advance to a later stage does not give rise to any claim against the Sponsor or 3P Ventures.

8. Prize

The Sponsor intends to award one (1) Winner the opportunity to receive a private investment from 3P Ventures (the “Investment Opportunity”).

Instrument. The Investment Opportunity will be made on a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) or an equivalent regional convertible instrument appropriate to the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Winner’s Company (for example, J-KISS in Japan, or a convertible note in jurisdictions where SAFE is not customary). The specific instrument, dollar (or local-currency) amount, valuation cap, discount rate, and other commercial terms will be set out in the final version of these Rules at the time the Programme launches and will be reflected in the binding transaction documents.

Conditions to closing. No funds are committed and no SAFE will be executed until all of the following conditions have been satisfied to 3P Ventures’ reasonable satisfaction:

1. Satisfactory completion of legal, financial, operational, and reference due diligence by 3P Ventures, including verification of cap table, intellectual property assignments, and material contracts;
2. No material legal or financial irregularity identified during diligence. A material irregularity includes, without limitation, undisclosed liabilities, securities-law violations, fraud, material misstatements in the Entrant’s deck or analysis, IP or employment-assignment defects that cannot be cured, or any matter that a reasonable investor would consider material to the investment decision;
3. Accuracy of the Entrant’s representations and warranties under these Rules and the transaction documents at the time of signing and at closing;
4. Negotiation and execution of binding transaction documents acceptable to 3P Ventures and the Winner’s Company;
5. Compliance with all applicable securities laws and regulations in the jurisdictions of 3P Ventures and the Winner’s Company, including any registration, exemption, or filing requirements;
6. Any approvals required from the Winner’s Company’s board of directors, existing shareholders, or other constituencies;
7. No occurrence between the Winner announcement and the proposed closing of any event that would, in 3P Ventures’ reasonable judgment, constitute a material adverse change to the Winner’s Company, its business, or its prospects.

Funding will be paid by 3P Ventures to the Winner’s Company only at, and not before, the closing of the SAFE or equivalent instrument. The Sponsor and 3P Ventures will use commercially reasonable efforts to complete diligence and close within a target window that will be specified in the final Rules.

If, after the Winner is announced, the parties cannot in good faith agree on the terms of the Investment Opportunity, the diligence conditions in this Section 8 are not satisfied, or any material irregularity is identified, the Sponsor and 3P Ventures reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to: (a) award the Investment Opportunity to a runner-up; (b) modify the terms of the Investment Opportunity; or (c) withhold the Investment Opportunity entirely. No cash equivalent will be awarded.

9. This is not a public offering or solicitation

Nothing in these Rules, the Programme itself, or any communication from the Sponsor or 3P Ventures constitutes an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security. Any investment that results from the Programme will be made on a private basis, in reliance on available exemptions from registration under applicable securities laws, and only after the execution of binding transaction documents. Participation in the Programme is not an offer of securities to Entrants and creates no investment relationship between any Entrant and the Sponsor or 3P Ventures.

10. Winner notification and acceptance

The Winner will be notified by email at the address associated with the Entrant’s PitchVault account. The Winner must respond to the notification within ten (10) business days and complete any acceptance steps requested by the Sponsor (which may include verification of identity, eligibility, and authority to act on behalf of the Company). Failure to respond, decline the Investment Opportunity, or comply with verification will result in disqualification, and the Sponsor may select an alternate Winner.

11. Privacy and use of deck materials

The privacy of your deck and underlying company information is governed by the PitchVault Privacy Policy. By entering the Programme you authorise the Sponsor and 3P Ventures to: (a) review your deck and analysis materials for purposes of the Programme; (b) share your materials internally and with retained advisors under appropriate confidentiality; and (c) retain materials for record-keeping in accordance with the Privacy Policy. Your deck and underlying information will not be published or shared with third parties outside the Sponsor and 3P Ventures without your separate written consent.

12. Public listing and publicity

Public listing — all Entrants. By entering the Programme, every Entrant agrees that the following information about the Company may be displayed publicly on PitchVault Programme surfaces (including, but not limited to, a public Programme leaderboard, the marketing site, social channels, and announcement materials) during the Programme entry period and for a reasonable period afterward:

1. Company name and one-line description (as entered on the Founder Profile);
2. Stage and sector;
3. The VaultScore™ on the Entrant’s most recent qualifying analysis, and where applicable the score trajectory across deck versions;
4. Investor-visibility status (e.g., “Investor Visible”, “Raise Ready”);
5. The Entrant’s name and role at the Company;
6. An optional headshot or logo if the Entrant uploads one.

What is not published. The deck file itself, the full written analysis, internal risk findings, the Coach’s detailed read, and any financial figures the Entrant did not explicitly approve for public display will not be published as part of the Programme listing. Investor-facing deck access remains gated by the Entrant’s existing PitchVault privacy settings.

Winner announcement. If you are selected as the Winner and accept the Investment Opportunity, you additionally grant the Sponsor and 3P Ventures the right to use your name, your Company’s name and logo, a photograph or likeness, and a description of the Investment Opportunity, for promotional purposes in any media, without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. You may request reasonable review of specific promotional materials before publication.

Withdrawal. An Entrant may withdraw from the Programme at any time before the Winner is announced by emailing support@pitchvault.ai. On withdrawal, the Sponsor will remove the Entrant’s public Programme listing within a commercially reasonable period. Withdrawal does not retroactively unpublish announcements or news coverage that has already been distributed.

13. Intellectual property

You retain all rights in your deck, your Company’s intellectual property, and any related materials submitted in connection with the Programme. Entry into the Programme does not transfer ownership of any intellectual property to the Sponsor or 3P Ventures. Sponsor may use anonymised, aggregated insights derived from Programme entries for the purpose of improving PitchVault and reporting on Programme outcomes.

14. Taxes and fees

The Winner is solely responsible for any taxes, fees, withholdings, or other liabilities arising from the Investment Opportunity or any related transactions. The Sponsor and 3P Ventures may make reporting filings or withhold amounts as required by applicable law.

15. Disqualification

The Sponsor may, at its sole discretion, disqualify any Entrant who: (a) provides false, misleading, or incomplete information; (b) submits a deck or analysis that misrepresents the Company’s business, traction, team, or capital structure; (c) breaches these Rules; (d) violates applicable law; or (e) engages in conduct the Sponsor reasonably considers harmful to the integrity of the Programme. Disqualification may apply at any stage, including after a Winner has been announced.

16. No warranty; limitation of liability

The Programme, PitchVault, and the underlying scoring methodology are provided on an “as is” basis. The Sponsor and 3P Ventures make no representation or warranty that participation in the Programme will result in any investment, introduction, valuation, or other commercial outcome. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Sponsor, 3P Ventures, and their respective affiliates, officers, employees, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or relating to the Programme or these Rules.

17. Changes to these Rules

The Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Programme, or to change these Rules, at any time, for any reason, including for legal or regulatory reasons. Material changes will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

18. Governing law and disputes

These Rules and any disputes arising out of the Programme are governed by the laws of Japan, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute will be brought exclusively in the courts of Tokyo, Japan. To the extent local law of an Entrant’s home jurisdiction provides mandatory protections that cannot be waived, those protections apply.

19. Severability

If any provision of these Rules is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.

20. Contact

Questions about the Programme or these Rules may be sent to support@pitchvault.ai.

These Rules are a draft prepared for review and do not constitute legal advice. The Sponsor will publish a final, legally reviewed version of these Rules before opening Programme entry. Founders should consult their own counsel before signing any transaction documents.