Startup Compete Y.E.S.

How to Create Startup Compete (formerly iStart) Accounts

iStart.org is now StartupCompete.co, which is powered by the Global Entrepreneurship Network. If you already have an iStart account, it will work for Startup Compete and you do not need to create a new account.

To compete in Y.E.S. for Arkansas, sponsors must create a Startup Compete account. If you plan to sponsor more than one team, you will be able to register all your teams through this account. As you move through the setup process, be aware that “Account” and “Profile” mean the same thing.

To register for the 2017 competition, go to yesforarkansas2016.startupcompete.co.

At the upper-left side of the page, you will see an orange button with “Log In / Register.” Click on this button. A box with a gold strip across the top will pop up on the screen.

New Startup Compete Users

Returning Startup Compete Users

Step 3: Click the “Create User Account” button on the left side of the box. A page, “Register for a new Startup Compete User Profile” will appear. For the purposes of the Y.E.S. competition, you need to only complete the information marked with an asterisk (*):

  • Email Address
  • Password and Confirm Password
  • First and Last Names
  • Gender
  • Phone Number
  • Country, Address, City, State, Zip Code

Step 4: For the “Roles and Communications” section, the first question asks you to “Select one or more role to describe your relationship with iStart.” Y.E.S. has no preference on this — it’s your choice. Uncheck the box for “Notify me via email on … New Competitions,” unless you want to receive iStart email.

Step 5: Click “I agree” in the Terms and Conditions, type the letters shown in the image, and click “Save.” Startup Compete will send a confirmation code to the email address you provided. You may either click on the link in the email or enter the validation code given in the email to confirm your account.

Step 6: After confirming your account, you will be taken to your iStart profile dashboard.

Step 7: File an “Intent to Compete” for Y.E.S., whether you plan to compete or not. Submitting an Intent to Compete does not obligate the sponsor or teams to the competition.

Step 3: Fill in the information on the right side of the box, “Returning to Startup Compete.” Enter the email address and password used when setting up the account. If you forgot your password, click on the “Forgot Password” link and follow the prompts to get a new password. If you have a new email address, or forgot the email address you used to create the account, you will need to start over. Follow the steps above as if you are new to Startup Compete.

Step 4: File an “Intent to Compete” for Y.E.S., whether you plan to compete or not. Submitting an Intent to Compete does not obligate the sponsor or teams to the competition.

A few more notes about Startup Compete:

Depending on your Internet connection speed and/or traffic on the Startup Compete website, pages may be occasionally slow to load. Also, you will be prompted occasionally with a pop-up box asking you to consider publishing your business plan publicly on Startup Compete, or that you can “update your Startup Compete Business Idea to opt-in, include logos, photos, videos and other information.” Again, these are not requirements of the Y.E.S. competition, but you can choose to do them if you wish.