Global Startups Invited to Apply for Series A Funding Pitch Contest: Deadline January 27, 2014

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MATI Israel

21 Jan, 2014, 14:19 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel, January 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Marketing & Ad:Tech Israel Conference offering $30,000 in Services Plus Funding to Winning Company Chosen by Panel of Corporate A-Listers

With the number of tech accelerators globally now more than 1,500, there has been similar growth in Seed and Angel investments. Ironically, the number of venture firms making Series A and later stage investments in technology startups is actually declining, with 61% of US early-stage companies unable to raise follow-on funding of any kind. This phenomenon, studied by industry analysts and documented by PriceWaterhouse and CB Insights among others, is known as the "Series A Crunch."

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"Early Stage companies need customers and they need funding," says Levi Shapiro, a partner at JIMMI Fund, who is the founder of the Marketing & Ad:Tech Israel conference. "We have created a funding pitch contest as a way to expose worthy startups to both."

Companies from anywhere in the world are eligible to apply to participate in the Global Startup Pitch by Jan 27th. They must have a product in the market and have raised less than $1.5 million USD. Details and a link to the application can be found here: http://www.adtechsummit.com/contest

The winner will be announced at the Marketing & Ad:Tech Israel Conference (http://www.adtechsummit.com) on February 11, 2014 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Contest Judges include digital media notables such as David Roman (CMO of Lenovo), Greg Stuart (Global CEO of the Mobile Marketing Association), Jane Randel (SVP Communications & Brand Services, Kate Spade), Gavin Marshall (Head of Digital Innovation, SAB Miller), Carl Fremont (Chief Digital Officer, MEC), Stephanie Hospital (EVP, Orange), etc. In addition to the Funding Round eligibility, the top two startups will each receive a suite of FREE legal, accounting, software and other professional services worth more than $30,000.

"The Marketing & Ad:Tech Israel conference brings together the world's top brands, agencies and publishers to explore the future of marketing," says Jon Medved, Founder and Managing Partner of OurCrowd, an equity crowd-funding platform for accredited investors, who will award the prize. "What better way to peer into the future of digital marketing than to invest in the most innovative ideas?"

The winning company will be eligible to begin negotiations for a Round of Funding, courtesy of the equity crowd-funding platform, OurCrowd.

Israel is a natural home for a digital media conference and Startup Pitch Contest. The world's #2 startup ecosystem has seen acquisitions in the last few months by Google, Apple and Facebook. In fact, VC-backed exits reached a record high last year of $4.2 billion, with average exits rising to $83 million.  

Application Details:

About Marketing & Ad:Tech Israel

Marketing & Ad:Tech Israel (http://www.adtechsummit.com) is an annual conference for the world's top brands, agencies and publishers to explore the future of digital marketing. All presentations are TED-style lectures by globally recognized thought-leaders.  The highlight of the conference is a Business Contest with six startup companies. Winner and 1st Runner-Up receive a suite of more than $30,000 worth of free services while the winning company is eligible for beginning negotiations for their next round of funding, courtesy of OurCrowd. For more information visit http://www.adtechsummit.com

Press contacts:
U.S.
Judy Safern
LeadingThinkers
+1(718)766-5431
Email: judy@leadingthinkers.com

Israel:
Nahum Donitza
Donitza PR-DMC
+972-3-516-7336
Email: nahum@donitza.co.il

SOURCE MATI Israel