AI Startup Pitch-Off
Official Contest Rules
Chargebee Beelieve ’26 San Francisco AI Startup Pitch-Off Contest Official Rules (“Contest Rules”)
NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
1.Eligibility
Chargebee’s Beelieve ’26 San Francisco AI Startup Pitch-Off Contest organized in partnership with The Founder Initiative (the “Contest”) is open only to Chargebee Beelieve ’26 San Francisco registrants who have completed the application form before Monday, April 13, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time who are at least 21 years of age as of the date of entry.
To participate in the Contest, an applicant must:
- Be either a founder or co-founder of an AI-related startup that
- Has not yet received Series A funding; and
- Has a product in production with live customers and/or design partners.
- Be able to deliver a two-minute pitch live during the Chargebee Beelieve ’26 San Francisco AI Startup Pitch-Off Event (the “Pitch-Off Event”), which will be held at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, California on Thursday, April 16, 2026 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm Pacific Time (“Eligible Applicant”).
Please note: Applicant companies must be independently owned. Companies owned, financed or developed by a parent company will be ineligible for the Contest. Employees of Chargebee, GroundSwell Group, Fort Mason, and Chargebee Beelieve Sponsorship Partners, their affiliates and subsidiaries (collectively the “Employees”), and immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of Employees are not eligible to participate in the Contest.
Only Eligible Applicants shall be eligible to win prizes as outlined below in Section 6. All work and submissions of Eligible Applicants must be original to the applying entrant/team. If there is a question about the rights to Your work, You may be asked to provide evidence of original production or to produce the rights to materials and elements used in conjunction with your application (including, but not limited to, logos, presentations, products, and marketing items).
2.Sponsor
The Contest is sponsored by Chargebee Inc. (“Chargebee”), located at 909 Rose Ave., Ste. 950, North Bethesda, Maryland, 20852, United States.
3.Agreement to Rules
By participating in the Contest, the applicant (“You”) agree(s) to be fully and unconditionally bound by these Rules. You also represent and warrant that You meet the eligibility requirements. In addition, You agree to accept the decisions of Chargebee as final and binding as it relates to the content of the Contest.
4.Contest Period
Entries will be accepted online starting on February 16, 2026 at 10:00am Pacific Time and ending Monday, April 13, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. All completed application forms must be received by Monday, April 13, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time.
5.How to Enter
Applicants must register for the Pitch-Off Event at https://luma.com/beelieve and complete the following application form: https://airtable.com/appYTibI72hhWFpIZ/pag560t4V7TIxw3uD/form.
Applications that are incomplete and/or do not adhere to the Contest Rules or qualifying specifications may be disqualified at the sole discretion of Chargebee. Applicants can only enter once and must provide accurate information as requested. Applicants may not enter more times than indicated by using multiple email addresses, identities, or devices in an attempt to circumvent the Contest Rules. If You use fraudulent methods or otherwise attempt to circumvent the Contest Rules, your submission may be removed from eligibility at the sole discretion of Chargebee.
6.Prizes
Ten (10) Eligible Applicants will be selected by Chargebee to present their two-minute pitches live at the Pitch-Off Event to a judging panel, composed of product/engineering, GTM, and finance executives from Chargebee and other companies. The judging panel will select one (1) winner based on their five minute recorded demonstration submitted with their application, and their 2-minute live pitch (the “Winner”). Specifically, the judging panel will be reviewing the following objective criteria: (1) the articulation of the customer’s pain point; (2) how the product demo solves that pain; and (3) the pricing and monetization model. The Winner will receive USD 100,000.00 to be used towards furthering the business, and a variety of secondary benefits including product credits and media exposure. The specifics of the secondary benefits shall be determined solely by Chargebee. No cash or other prize substitution shall be permitted except at Chargebee’s discretion. No substitution of prizes or transfer/assignment of prizes to others by the Winner is permitted except at Chargebee’s discretion. Any and all prize-related expenses, including without limitation any and all federal, state, and/or local taxes, shall be the responsibility of the Winner. Acceptance of the prize constitutes permission for Chargebee to use the Winner’s name, likeness, and entry form material for purposes of advertising and trade without further compensation unless prohibited by law.
7.Odds
The odds of being selected to present live at the Pitch-Off Event depends on the number of Eligible Applicants; however, the odds of winning the USD 100,000.00 prize is one (1) in ten (10).
8.Winner Selection and Notification
The ten (10) Eligible Applicants will be notified that they have been selected by Chargebee to present their two-minute pitches live at the Pitch-Off Event via email by Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. The Winner of the Contest will be selected and notified at the Pitch-Off Event on Thursday, April 16, 2026 before 7:00pm Pacific Time. ANY VIOLATION OF THESE CONTEST RULES BY WINNER INCLUDING ANY MISREPRESENTATIONS MADE IN APPLICATION MATERIALS OR DURING THE PITCH-OFF EVENT (AT CHARGEBEE’S SOLE DISCRETION) MAY RESULT IN WINNER’S DISQUALIFICATION AS WINNER OF THE CONTEST, AND IMMEDIATE TERMINATION OF ALL PRIVILEGES AS WINNER. THIS MAY INCLUDE FORFEITURE OF PRIZE MONEY AND CHARGEBEE’S SUBSEQUENT SELECTION OF AN ALTERNATE AWARD WINNER.
9.Rights Granted by You
By entering this contest, You understand and agree that Chargebee, anyone acting on behalf of Chargebee, and Chargebee’s licensees, successors, and assigns, shall have the right, where permitted by law, to print, publish, broadcast, distribute, and use in any media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity and throughout the World, without limitation, your entry, name, portrait, picture, voice, likeness, image, statements about the Contest, and biographical information for news, publicity, information, trade, advertising, public relations, and promotional purposes without any further compensation, notice, review, or consent. By submitting Your application content, You represent and warrant that your entry does not violate any third party’s proprietary or intellectual property rights. If your entry infringes upon the intellectual property right of another, You will be disqualified at the sole discretion of Chargebee. If the content of your entry is claimed to constitute infringement of any proprietary or intellectual proprietary rights of any third party, You shall, at your sole expense, defend or settle against such claims. You shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Chargebee from and against any suit, proceeding, claims, liability, loss, damage, costs or expense, which Chargebee may incur, suffer, or be required to pay arising out of such infringement or suspected infringement of any third party’s right.
10.Other Terms & Conditions
Chargebee reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest without liability should virus, bug, non-authorized human intervention, fraud, or other cause beyond Chargebee’s control corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, or proper conduct of the Contest. In such a case, Chargebee may select Eligible Applicants from all application entries received prior to and/or after (if appropriate) the action taken by Chargebee. Chargebee reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or website or violates these Contest Rules. Chargebee has the right, in its sole discretion, to maintain the integrity of the Contest, to void entries for any reason, including, but not limited to: multiple entries from the same user from different IP addresses; multiple entries from the same computer; or the use of bots, macros, scripts, or other technical means for entering. Any attempt by an entrant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil laws. Should such an attempt be made, Chargebee reserves the right to seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law. In no event will Chargebee be responsible for awarding more than the number of prizes specified in these rules.
The Contest judges do not provide or enforce confidentiality agreements and DO NOT agree, expressly or implicitly, to hold any materials submitted by an Eligible Applicant in confidence. Any information or opinions conveyed during the Pitch-Off Event are based on general principles and may be provided with limited or no knowledge of the facts or circumstances of a specific enterprise. Such information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as professional advice. Eligible Applicants should consult their own legal, accounting, financial, or other professional advisors before making business decisions.
11.Limitation of Liability
By entering the Contest, You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Chargebee and its subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, partners, representatives, agents, successors, assigns, employees, officers, and directors from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, litigation, claim, or damage that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from: (i) such applicant's participation in the Contest and/or his/her/their acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any prize or any portion thereof, including, without limitation, intellectual property violations; (ii) technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to the malfunction of any computer, cable, network, hardware, or software, or other mechanical equipment; (iii) the unavailability or inaccessibility of any transmissions, telephone, or Internet service; (iv) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the promotion; and/or (v) electronic or human error in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries. CHARGEBEE MAKES NO WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS OR GUARANTEES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, AS REGARDS THIS CONTEST OR THE MERCHANTABILITY, QUALITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE REGARDING ANY PRIZE OR ANY COMPONENT OF ANY PRIZE.
Chargebee takes no part in and has no liability for the domestic or international intellectual property rights of the Contest participants. Eligible Applicants are responsible for their own intellectual property, including keeping their confidential information confidential.
12.Disputes and Arbitration
THE CONTEST IS GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF UNITED STATES AND CALIFORNIA, WITHOUT RESPECT TO CONFLICT OF LAW DOCTRINES. As a condition of participating in the Contest, Eligible Applicants agree that any and all disputes and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Contest, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action. In the event that any dispute, difference, claim or controversy arises between You and Chargebee in connection with the Contest (hereinafter jointly referred to as “Dispute”), each party will provide the other party with written notice of the Dispute as soon as practicable, and the parties agree to exercise commercially reasonable efforts to resolve the Dispute amicably through their designated officers. A Dispute that cannot be resolved within thirty (30) days following the initiation of discussions contemplated by the prior sentence will, upon written demand of either party, be resolved exclusively by final and binding arbitration in the state of California before one arbitrator. The Dispute shall be settled by arbitration pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). The arbitrator shall be selected by agreement of the Parties. If the Parties are unable to agree on an arbitrator within thirty (30) days of the initiation of the arbitration, one shall be appointed by the AAA. The arbitration shall be conducted in the English language, and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator shall be binding, conclusive and non-appealable and may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. If any action is pursued to enforce or obtain compliance with this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, in addition to any other relief to which such party may be entitled.
13.Privacy Policy
Information submitted with applications are subject to Chargebee’s Privacy Notice.
14.Winner Information
To obtain hard copies of the Winner’s name and/or these Official Rules, You can mail your request along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Chargebee Legal (re: Beelieve ’26 AI Startup Pitch-Off Contest), 909 Rose Ave. Ste. 950, North Bethesda, Maryland 20852, United States. Requests must be received no later than Friday April 24, 2026 at 5:00pm Pacific Time. Contest-related questions can be sent to erin.gunaratna@chargebee.com.
15.Social Media
Chargebee’s Beelieve ’26 San Francisco AI Startup Pitch-Off Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Meta, LinkedIn or Microsoft.
16.BY SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION FORM, YOU, THE APPLICANT, HAVE AFFIRMATIVELY REVIEWED, ACCEPTED, AND AGREED TO ALL OF THE OFFICIAL RULES.