IRVINE, Calif. - TelAve -- With Survivor™ 14 just days away, Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN), a four-decade-old pillar of the Orange County entrepreneurship community, is putting the finishing touches on its highest-energy pitch competition yet, held in partnership with TiE Los Angeles as part of the TiE LA Investor Summit 2026.

Survivor 14 runs September 17 and 18, from 5:00 to 9:00 PM PDT, at the Renaissance Newport Beach Hotel. The two-day format removes the usual gatekeeping: founders can step up without an advance application through the Open Mic Lightning Round, where 30-second pitches are taken first-come, first-served. Judge-selected founders then advance to the Finals, where they get three minutes on stage followed by live Q&A from a panel of investors, verbal only, no slides or decks.

Founders will pitch in front of a judging panel spanning the TiE and Southern California investor network: Maeesha Merchant, EVP, COO & CFO of Colburn; Shankar Ram, Co-Founder of TiE Los Angeles (SoCal); Byron Wang, Partner at Gumshoe Ventures; Tom Sullivan, COO of AIR20; Kannan Ramachandran, President of TiE Phoenix; Abdi Sherif, Managing Director at gBETA gener8tor; and Anshuman Sinha, Trustee of the TiE Global Board of Trustees, alongside the broader TiE investor community. The full judging lineup will be announced separately across TCVN's social channels in the lead-up to the event.

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The high-energy, fast-paced night will be led by Tony Crisp, President of TCVN, who returns as host of Survivor 14. "Survivor keeps evolving because our founders keep raising the bar," said Crisp. "This is where Founders can be seen, be heard, and get connected while learning to tell their story under pressure, in front of the people who actually ask the hard questions, and walk away sharper for it."

Beyond the competition itself, Survivor 14 is designed as an educational and networking experience for the Southern California startup ecosystem: founders sharpen their pitch and storytelling skills through structured, real-time feedback, while investors, operators, and industry professionals connect and trade ideas across two nights of TCVN's signature mix of "music, lights, food, networking, and nonstop action."

The winner takes home the Golden Skull trophy, a cash award, and a package of premium startup services.

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Tickets, including Founder, General, Exhibit Table + PitchPass, Investor, Student, and TCVN Lifetime Member options, are available now at https://lu.ma/survivor.

About TCVN

Founded in 1984, Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN) is a founders-first nonprofit organization hosting signature events including PitchPolish™, Wingz™, InvestorReady workshops, Survivor™ pitch competitions, and the Rocky founders choice awards. Join at www.tcvn.org/join.