"Keep in mind that each of the 70 startups on this list paid $18,000 to get on stage"

Are these the only two conventions around that promote start-ups in this manner? $18k isn't completely absurd but it still seems pretty steep for a few people working out of a garage to pull together. It seems to me that while this set-up might help out some start-ups that it mostly helps out the people that organize it. I would imagine that the VC firms have to pay some kind of attendance fee as well.

Seems to me like someone should set up a similar conference that offers a much lower entrance fee for start-ups, or maybe even eliminate the fee all together.