Top Start-Ups To Compete At Digital Entertainment World
Applications Now Open for 12 Companies to be selected to present at DEW Conference -Taking Place February 10-12 in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Entertainment World (DEW), the industry event and market focused on monetizing digital content, today announced the opening of applications for the 2nd Annual DEW Start-Up Pitch and Competition. Interested companies may apply online to be considered to compete at the 2015 event.
On February 11, 2015, twelve (12) innovative start-ups with products, technologies or services contributing to the ecosystem for creating, distributing, marketing and monetizing digital content will compete in a faceoff before a panel of top digital investors. In addition to valuable exposure to the digital and investor community, these start-ups will have an opportunity to win a prize package that will help them grow their business. The competition, which is sponsored by Manatt Digital Media, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, IDG Ventures, and Rackspace Startups, takes place at the 2nd Annual DEW Conference to be held February 10-12, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
Ned Sherman, CEO of Digital Media Wire and DEW Co-Chair, said, "The digital ecosystem continues to grow, with new, innovative players making technological advancements that contribute to consumer engagement, better experiences, and of course, monetization. We are excited to once again be providing a venue for showcasing these start-ups." Hale Boggs, Chairman of Manatt Digital Media, added, "2014 was a pivotal year in digital media, with numerous large-scale M&A deals and substantial investment in the space. The pace of those deals – and overall focus on digital media – will accelerate in 2015. DEW celebrates the critical importance of digital media and we are proud to support that community."
The 12 selected startups will make live pitch presentations 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.
The judges, representing top-tier VCs and investment funds, include:
- Pat Kenealy, Managing Director, IDG Ventures
- Phil Sanderson, Managing Director, IDG Ventures
- Peter Csathy, CEO, Manatt Digital Media
- T. Hale Boggs. Partner Corporate/Finance, Capital Markets & Venture Capital, Manatt Phelps & Phillips / Chair, Manatt Digital Media
- Mike Lee, General Partner, Rogers Venture Partners
- Richard Wolpert, Managing Director, Amplify.la
- Lok Lee, Managing Director, CrunchFund
- Clinton Foy, Managing Director, Crosscut Ventures
- Chirag Chotalia, Vice President, Pritzker Group Venture Capital
- Sunny Dhillon, Senior Associate, Signia Venture Partners
- Yohei Nakajima, Program Coordinator, Techstars
- Cody Simms, Managing Director, Techstars
- Mark Salter, Managing Partner, New Century Capital Partners
- Ken Umezaki, Angel Investor & President, Digital Daruma
- Peter Brack, Executive in Residence, Mucker Capital
- Marshall Jensen, Managing Partner, DMW Hexagon
- Harry DeMott, Managing Director, Raptor Ventures
The 2014 winner, Ninja Metrics, received a grand prize valued at $74,000, which included strategic business consulting, legal services, web hosting, consultation and a $25,000 investment.
The 2015 prize package will include the following:
- A full year of free hosting service on Rackspace ($24,000 value)
- An invitation to the San Francisco office of IDG Ventures for a two-hour consultation with senior partners of the firm.
- A $25,000 investment from Manatt Venture Fund in the form of a convertible note.
- Professional and business consulting services from L.A.-based law firm Manatt, Phelps & Philipps, LLP and Manatt Digital Media ($25,000 value)
Each of the other 11 finalists selected to compete at DEW will also receive $1,000 per month in free hosting service for 12 months on Rackspace ($12,000 value).
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 $5 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, 2015.
DEW is a three-day conference offering 100+ sessions 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.
DEW is a joint venture between IDG World Expo, an award-winning producer of tradeshows and events, including Macworld/iWorld, the MacIT® Conference, the Electronic Entertainment Expo® (E3®), and The Game Marketing Summit, and Digital Media Wire, a media and marketing consultancy and event producer with leading events including DMW Week NYC, NY Games Conference, Future of Television, Digital Music Forum and LA Games Conference.
For information on limited sponsorship opportunities, please contact Giovanni Stein at IDG World Expo. If you are interested in speaking at the event, please visit http://www.dewexpo.com/speaker-submission-form.
Media Contacts:
Jim Benson
The Lippin Group
323.965.1990 ext. 327
[email protected]
Mario Gonzalez
The Lippin Group
323.965.1990 ext. 339
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Matt Biscuiti
The Lippin Group
212-986-7080
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RELATED LINKS
http://www.dewexpo.com
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SOURCE IDG World Expo
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