Digital Entertainment World To Host Start Up Competition Before Top Digital Investors

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Entertainment World (DEW), a unique event focused on monetizing digital content, today announced that it will pit innovative startups with products and technologies that contribute to monetization of digital content against each other in a faceoff before a panel of top digital investors. The contestants will have the opportunity to pitch their latest technological advancements at the inaugural DEW Conference to be held February 18-20, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

The 12 selected startups will make live 10-minute presentations on stage during the conference to judging panels of leading investors and VCs looking for creativity, innovation, need in the marketplace, strength of team and presentation, as well as future success of profitability. Following a Q&A session, four finalists will be chosen to present to a larger investor panel that will ultimately choose the winner.

The judges are from top-tier VCs and investment funds including Comcast Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Manatt Digital Media Ventures, Draper Associates, Clearstone Venture Partners, CrossCut Ventures, Rogers Venture Partners, Amplify, StartupEngine, New World Ventures, Siemer Ventures, Baroda Ventures, William Morris Endeavor, and Signia Venture Partners. The winner will receive a prize package, the details of which will be announced in the next few weeks.

Mary Dolaher, Chief Executive Officer of IDG World Expo, said, "This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these select companies to get their technology in front of this game-changing audience. The presentations will also provide the investment community, along with hundreds of leading entertainment, media and technology executives involved in the top echelons of gaming, video, publishing, advertising and music industries, insight into some of today's most innovative new companies in the space."

Eligible startups must have a demonstrable product or service in the market (or in beta). They may participate only if external funding does not exceed $2 million (USD) and they are prepared to talk about their products and services in public, while agreeing to have it recorded for public broadcast. All entries for consideration must be submitted online by January 10, 2014.

DEW offers 100+ sessions over the three-day conference, featuring notable guests and speakers from leading companies in the industry. The complete list of DEW speakers to date can be viewed here.  The DEW agenda can be viewed here.

Digital Entertainment World, a unique event focused on monetizing digital content, is the must attend B2B event and marketplace for global media and technology executives who want to evaluate the digital media landscape. This three-day event brings together leading industry executives from games, music, video, and publishing -- the entire digital content ecosystem. DEW is the place where content creators and owners, enabling technology providers, digital distributors and device manufacturers will connect to create the infrastructure and technology partnerships necessary to monetize digital content.  For more information, please visit www.DEWExpo.com.

IDG World Expo (www.idgworldexpo.com) is an award-winning producer of tradeshows and events for professionals and consumers seeking world-class education, strategic business relationships, and access to industry-leading products and services. IDG World Expo's portfolio of conferences and events includes Macworld / iWorld, the MacIT® Conference, the Electronic Entertainment Expo^® (E3^®), Anime Expo^®, The Game Marketing Summit, FutureM, BET Experience at L.A. Live, Enterprise MobileNext (mNext), Macworld Mobile, and Digital Entertainment World. IDG World Expo is a business unit of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research and event company.

Digital Media Wire (www.dmwmedia.com) produces engaging and informative B2B conferences and events in four media verticals: video, games, publishing and music. DMW's portfolio includes: Future of Television, Future of Film, Digital Music Forum, LA Games Conference, NY Games Conference, Disruptive Media Conference and Digital Media Conference. Participants include entrepreneurs and senior decision-makers at leading media, entertainment and technology companies, investment bankers, venture capitalists, advertisers, educators, policy-makers and legal professionals. DMW has one of the largest and most engaged and senior-level communities in the digital media industry.  

SOURCE IDG World Expo