GamCrowd and Clarion make Pitch ICE 2016 start-up call

Entrepreneurs are also invited to take a place in a day of curated presentations and discussions designed to give start-ups the very best advice about launching a business in the sector. Participants will also receive trade press exposure in the lead up to the event and in the post-Pitch ICE coverage as well as networking opportunities during the three days.

Start-ups interested in being a part of the show have until 31 December to apply.

Pitch ICE is now in its second successful year. It gives start-ups the platform to present their ideas and innovations to attendees from the global gambling industry direct from the stage.

Over the first two days of Pitch ICE, between 15-20 start-ups will get two 15-minutes slots to present their business while on the Thursday, the GamCrowd Studio workshop takes over with a series of talks and start-up advice from industry experts.

Chris North, founder and chief executive at GamCrowd, said: “The Pitch ICE show has evolved this year to and is more content-rich than ever. We are hoping not only to showcase the best new ideas but also to provide information and advice from a range of advisors with knowledge of how to get a business up-and-running in this sector.”

Pitch ICE is also the stepping stone to the LaunchPad events also run in conjunction with Clarion Events at its EiG and Gigse shows. Said North: “We’re hoping we can find the right start-ups and also push them further along the path to success with these follow-on shows.”

Ewa Bakun, head of content at Clarion Events, added: “We are really excited about the opportunity Pitch ICE now gives to the start-up community in the gambling sector. By linking Pitch ICE with the LaunchPad events that take place at EiG and Gigse, it gives the start-up culture in gambling a defined structure. It achieves our aim of placing our shows at the heart of the sector.”

A host of experts

Among those taking the opportunity to share their knowledge at Pitch ICE are founders of last year’s competition winners Gamevy, Paul Dolman Darrall and Helen Walton who will be talking about how to overcome familiar start-up pain points such as how to handle questions of banking, regulation, payment processing and routes to market.

Walton said: "Winning Pitch ICE was an extraordinary boost for our company - helping us to find investment and a route to market. The whole process of pitching was a useful one, giving companies like us a real grounding in how the industry works to help get our foot on the first rung of the industry ladder.”

Also taking to the stage this year will be Phil Hails Smith and Shula Hagan from London-based law firm and iGaming specialists Joelson Wilson, Melissa Blau from iGaming Capital and John Bradfrod, ex-chief executive at Tech Stars alongside North from GamCrowd who will be talking on the Thursday about how crowdsourcing can help a business scale while keeping to a lean start-up model.

The talks will go through every stage of the start-up journey from doing the paper work to getting the word out and pulling in the cash. North said: “The first Pitch ICE and other events we have been involved in alongside Clarion have demonstrated a real desire for more information and help from start-ups and entrepreneurs. We hope that the expanded Pitch ICE element to Totally Gaming will help even more companies at the most important stage in their businesses development. The quality of participant in the presentations also shows the willingness of those within the industry to give the invaluable benefit of their years of experience.”

Crowning a winner

The ultimate winner of Pitch ICE will be handed a trophy on the Thursday afternoon by GamCrowd founders North and Ian Hogg. Further awards will be given including best idea, best presentation and best use of social media campaign to promote there pitch and most developed start-up.