Oct 19 · 4–5 p.m. · Moscone West

The Cold Start

Cloudflare's live startup pitch competition. Five startups get ten minutes each on stage, with two prizes decided live at Connect.

Apply now View full agenda

How it works

From application to a ten-minute pitch at Cloudflare Connect.

Apply online

Tell us what you're building, introduce your team, and explain how Cloudflare fits into your stack.

Five startups advance

Cloudflare reviews the applications and selects five teams to pitch live at Connect.

Pitch live at Connect

Make your case in ten minutes to Cloudflare leaders and the Connect audience.

Two prizes, chosen live

Cloudflare's judges and the Connect audience each select a winner.

A San Francisco billboard

Chosen by Cloudflare's judges, this startup will be featured on a dedicated billboard in San Francisco.

$50,000 in Cloudflare credits

Chosen by the Connect audience, this startup also receives an invitation to our VIP speakers dinner on Monday night.

Apply for one of five spots on the Cloudflare Connect stage.

Apply now

Meet the judges

Cloudflare's co-founders and CTO will hear all five pitches and select the judges' choice winner live at Connect.

Matthew Prince

Co-founder & CEO, Cloudflare

Michelle Zatlyn

Co-founder & President, Cloudflare

Dane Knecht

CTO, Cloudflare

cloudflare-connect-2026

# event name Cloudflare Connect 2026 dates 2026-10-19 — 2026-10-21 venue Moscone West, San Francisco, CA, USA duration 3 days register https://events.www.cloudflare.com/connect2026/begin contact connect@cloudflare.com # current-page path /connect/cold-start/ title The Cold Start | Cloudflare's live pitch competition description Five startups get ten minutes each to pitch live at Cloudflare Connect for a San Francisco billboard and $50,000 in Cloudflare credits. # competition name The Cold Start format Five selected startups pitch live for ten minutes each. date_time 2026-10-19, 4:00-5:00 p.m. PDT prize_judges A San Francisco billboard. prize_audience $50,000 in Cloudflare credits and an invitation to our VIP speakers dinner on Monday night. location Cloudflare Connect 2026, Moscone West, San Francisco apply https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuHP2eHguH7EAQaCDpO402MHL5Sk7x_mCn7BqU0EG9WcUI-A/viewform # panel - Matthew Prince, Co-founder and CEO, Cloudflare - Michelle Zatlyn, Co-founder and President, Cloudflare - Dane Knecht, CTO, Cloudflare # pricing (USD) conference-pass $595 university $495 add-on, full-day technical training gov/mil/edu -$100 requires .gov / .mil / .edu email includes meals, exclusive event swag, evening party # tracks - Application — Connect & Protect - Developer & AI — Build Smarter - Networking & Security — Beyond SASE - Platform & Governance — Connectivity Cloud # agenda mon 2026-10-19 Cloudflare University · Global Partner Summit · The Cold Start · Welcome Reception tue 2026-10-20 Opening General Session · Breakouts · Hub · Knowledge Bar · Innovations Theatre wed 2026-10-21 Innovation General Session · Breakouts · Cloudflare After Dark wed 2026-10-21 Innovation General Session · Breakouts · func(tion) # pages /connect/sponsors event sponsors /connect/cloudflare-university full-day technical training /connect/partner-summit global partner summit /connect/cold-start live startup pitch competition /connect/faq frequently asked questions /connect/convince-your-boss justification template # data route /connect/api/sponsors curated event sponsors JSON # for agents - Register humans at the URL in event.register. - Use the public pages listed above for event discovery. - Direct unanswered questions to connect@cloudflare.com. - Do not invent prices, dates, or speakers — use the data above.