.Tech Domains, the leading new domain extension for the tech ecosystem, recently announced a nationwide pitch competition in partnership with Startup Grind, the world’s largest community of startups, founders, innovators, and creators, for idea-stage entrepreneurs to win $10,000 in equity-free funding and over $100,000 in startup benefits.

The virtual competition (www.pitch.tech) comes as innovation and digitization fueled by the COVID-19 crisis continues to surge across industries and power a startup boom, causing global VC funding to reach an all-time high in the first quarter of 2021 with $125B invested. With just over 3% of that global funding going to seed-stage entrepreneurs, .Tech Domains and Startup Grind are coming together to provide a platform that empowers idea-stage entrepreneurs at the start of their journey while minimizing the common barriers and hurdles that are often present during the early stages of building a startup.

“We are proud to partner with Startup Grind on Pitch.Tech to support idea-stage entrepreneurs in bringing their innovations to life,” said Suman Das, Sr. Director of Brand Operations, .Tech Domains. “This virtual competition provides an opportunity for idea-stage entrepreneurs from all backgrounds to kickstart their startup journey and get access to resources and visibility that they need in the launch-phase.”

“Startup Grind’s mission has always been to help founders, entrepreneurs, and startups succeed, regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic circumstance,” said Derek Andersen, Co-founder & CEO, Startup Grind. “We are excited to partner with .Tech Domains to further our work supporting the startup community. Pitch.Tech is the perfect extension of our mission and presents a rare opportunity to support idea-stage entrepreneurs with the resources they need to take the first step towards launch.”

The .Tech domain extension holds a strong place in the startup ecosystem with thousands of startups boasting a .Tech domain name. According to Crunchbase, 250+ startups on .Tech domains have raised a funding of $4B+ till date.