• by Val Brickates Kennedy , April 7, 2014

And they're off!

MassChallenge, the tech community's answer to the Boston Marathon, said that it has received a record number of applications from aspiring tech titans around the world hoping to gain admittance into the incubator's 2014 program.

The world's largest tech incubator said 1,600 start-ups applied this year, up 35% from last year's pool of 1,200. 

The deadline for submissions was reportedly extended to April 3 because of a last minute flurry of applications. Approximately 50% of the applicants are based in New England, with another 30% hailing from 50 countries around the globe.

Of the 1,600, only 128 will be selected to participate in the incubator's four-month program, which includes mentoring from industry experts, free overhead and services, access to funding and media opportunities. Finalists will be announced on May 21.

Once accepted, the start-ups will also be able to compete for even more funding. At the end of the four-month program, MassChallenge will award $1.5 million in $50,000 and $100,000 grants to a handful of start-ups. The grants will be awarded at a ceremony on October 21.

Last year, ad tech firm ViralGains was awarded a $100,000 grant for their online video technology.