# Using Delsivo for a pitch competition's entry round

> If you are looking for pitch competition judging software, Delsivo covers the entry round, not the live event. In the pilot, entrants apply on your branded portal, each PDF deck is read with slide citations and checked against your published criteria, and your team builds the finalist list with reasons. Live scoring by judges on the day is not part of Delsivo, and no release plans it.

Source: https://delsivo.com/use-cases/pitch-competition-judging · Updated 2026-11-06 · Planned, not available yet

## Key takeaways

- Delsivo fits the entry and screening rounds of a competition, before anyone pitches on stage.
- Eligibility and judging criteria are published as a rubric, so every entry is checked against the same rules.
- Remote judges can see shared finalists as guest experts in the first release.
- Live scoring, audience voting and results publishing are not built. Use an event tool for those.

## What pitch competition judging software usually has to do

A pitch competition runs in phases. Entries open, the organiser checks eligibility, a panel narrows the field to finalists, finalists pitch live while judges score, and results are announced. The software needs for the first half look like a fund's intake: a form, decks, criteria and a shortlist. The second half is an event: judges on phones, scores added up in real time, maybe an audience vote.

Delsivo is built for the first half. Being clear about that saves you from buying a screening tool and discovering on the day that it can't run the room.

## Which parts of a competition Delsivo covers

Competition phases and Delsivo's fit

| Phase | Delsivo | Release |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Entry form on a branded page | Yes, on your subdomain | Pilot |
| Eligibility checks | Hard rules, with Unknown turned into questions | Pilot |
| Screening to finalists | Cited deck facts, fit per criterion, reasons recorded | Pilot |
| Remote judges reviewing finalists | Guest experts see only what is shared, until access expires | First release |
| A recorded round before the final | A recorded live AI interview, same questions for every finalist | First release |
| Live scoring on the day | Not built and not planned | None |
| Audience voting and results | Not built and not planned | None |

## Running the entry round

1. Publish your criteria as a rubric: eligibility as hard rules, judging themes as weighted preferences.
2. Brand the entry page and form, and share the public link and any partner referral links.
3. Each deck is read with slide citations and checked against the rubric as it arrives.
4. Your team reviews mismatches and unknowns, sends short questions where needed, and records a reason for each finalist and each pass.
5. Unpublish the portal when entries close.

## Giving judges the same starting point

Judges who see finalists for the first time on stage judge the pitch, not the company. If they get each finalist's deck facts, the claims with their labels and the criteria results beforehand, they arrive with the same baseline and their questions can go further. In the first release, you can share that with judges as named guests whose access expires after the event.

How judges record their views inside Delsivo is still being shaped with design partners. Until then, keep your scoring sheet where it is and use Delsivo to prepare it.

## When to use something else

- You need live scoring from judges' phones, totals on a screen or audience voting.
- You need ticketing, sponsor pages or an event agenda.
- Entrants won't have a pitch deck, for example an ideas competition for students.
- You want to collect entry fees. Delsivo never charges founders and doesn't take payments from entrants.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can judges score finalists inside Delsivo?

Not today. In the first release judges can join as guest experts and see the finalists you share. How guests record views is being shaped with design partners, so keep your scoring sheet for now.

### Can the entry page use our own domain?

The pilot uses a branded subdomain. Custom domains such as apply.yourevent.com come in the first release, on the upgrade plan, after a DNS ownership check.

### Is Delsivo a good fit for a one-off event?

Only if the entry round is large enough that screening by hand is the bottleneck. For a small event with a few dozen entries, a form and a careful scorecard may be all you need.

## Related pages

- [Accelerator cohort selection](https://delsivo.com/use-cases/accelerator-cohort-selection)
- [White-label portals](https://delsivo.com/white-label-portals)
- [Thesis screening](https://delsivo.com/thesis-screening)
- [Deal screening scorecard](https://delsivo.com/templates/deal-screening-scorecard)