On October 2, 2012 - the night before Tag der Deutschen Einheit -, six bands formed from the startup industry will enter the stage, right here in everybody’s favourite German Hauptstadt. Each band will have to play a set of 20 minutes, in front of a live audience and all media coverage we can muster. Which is, given the current Berlin startup scene hysteria, probably going to be quite a lot.

The definition of “band” here is broad. It can be one singer-songwriter girl, it can be a DJ with a live singer or a 12-man Heavy Metal big band. Only prerequisite: it mustn’t be all electronic. Hauling a beat box on stage and watching it play while having a smoke in the corner is not an option.

So how do you get this chance on eternal glory, no matter if your startup stumbles, your business plan sucks and your co-founders bail? There’s two simple steps.

1. Get your act together and record a video of 5 minutes max. Upload it somewhere and post the link right here under “Submit BOTSB application”. If you want to make double sure, drop me a mail to christoph at temporanova.com.

2. In September, there will be two nights when the 12 selected contestants play live on stage (2x6, that is) in front of a  crowd and a celebrity jury. Apart from their voting, “audience enthusiasm” will be a decisive factor to determine who’ll make it to the finals.

Some FAQs:

- Can VCs participate, too? - Yes. But should it transpire that they try to tweak the outcome by promises or threats regarding funding, they will be tarred and feathered.

- Can non-Berliners participate? - Hell yeah! C’mon, you Bavarians, Rheinländer, Hanseaten and Sachsen! 

- Can non-German startups participate? - Show us you can Rock’n’Roll, Ausländer!  

- Can startup media particpate? - Hm. I hear that Mike Butcher plays some halfway decent guitar. Well… WTF! Yes! 

You’re free to turn those 20 minutes into a whirlwind of a show. If there’s only two guys in your company with any musical talent, but twenty willing to dance, undress or video DJ, go for it. Will there be any prizes to win? Well - maybe. Let’s see how this plays out.

One thing though I can promise you. Anyone who has ever played live on stage, in front of an audience, will confirm that it’s one of the most thrilling kicks to be experienced. It’s unforgettable. It’s one of the things you want in life. 

Submission deadline is July 31st. Do it!