TC50: It’s TechCrunch50 all day on VentureBeat

(Looking for the list? Here’s the TechCrunch50 launch schedule that lists them all.  Here’s the list of all our posts from TechCrunch50.)

Tech startup kingmaker blog TechCrunch is hosting the third annual TechCrunch50 conference and trade show in San Francisco today and tomorrow. VentureBeat’s Anthony Ha and Kim-Mai Cutler are posting live from their seats.

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The fifty — yes, 50 — startups were selected by a panel of judges including TechCrunch editor Michael Arrington and Mahalo CEO and serial entrepreneur Jason Calacanis. They picked those they thought had the most potential as a startup.

That’s Mike and Jason above, in a photo from the first TechCrunch40 event in 2007. It had been originally planned as TechCrunch20. But even in their first year, they landed so many good applicants that they doubled the number of launches. Last year they boosted the number from 40 to 50.

The contest to get in was only beginning: All 50 entrants now must both launch their companies and debut their products live onstage, before a tough panel of experts that includes mellow-but-mercenary investor Ron Conway and Yossi Vardi, the well-connected Israeli investor who got rich off ICQ in the first Internet boom.

For aspiring Internet moguls, it’s a cross between American Idol and being sent to the principal’s office for a spanking. Vardi has already invested in more than 50 tech startups himself. Good luck pitching these guys. Especially with 49 more teams lined up behind you.

There’s a separate DemoPit at which many other products — not among the chosen 50 — are on display. We’ll post on those, too.

There are two ways to surf our reports as they come in: Browse the list below, or reload VentureBeat’s tc50 tag.

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The TechCrunch50 List: the presenting startups

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Udorse lets you tag your photos with product endorsements

RackUp sells gift cards in fast online auctions

HealthyWage lets companies incentivize employees to stay fit

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SeatGeek tells you when to buy tickets

DataXu optimizes ad campaigns in real-time

5to1 gives publishers more control over their ads

Clicker is a TV guide for the Internet age

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Spawn Labs lets you play your console games on your laptop

Toybots lets toys come to life with Internet connectivity

FluidHtml builds a more web-friendly version of Flash

iTwin allows encrypted, cableless file-sharing

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Microsoft’s next attack on Google: Bing gets visual search

Sealtale offers a personalized way to declare brand loyalty
ToonsTunes is like GarageBand for kids

ClaseMovil launches a virtual world for learning

Story Something creates personal stories for your children

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From the TechCrunch50 DemoPit: Meaningo, Tucoola and more

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Internet-economy news you might have missed if you’re at the show:

Facebook support for Twitter-like mentions now live

Confirmed: Intuit acquiring Mint for $170M

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Have you got photos from the event? Get me Calacanis and Arrington together — I’ll replace the shot above and link back to you. Email paul@venturebeat.com.

[Photo: Dan Farber]