Private: Intelligence

is on! If you went to ad:tech SF this year, you saw that start-ups are now a big part of the program, and NY will witness the second start-up competition this coming November. For NY, there are four categories of start-ups in play:

•Shopper marketing
•Social
•Mobile
•Gaming
This competition is expressly for companies that give brands a way to participate, in keeping with the show’s digital marketing focus. ad:tech will profile 16 startup companies with promising services and technologies for brands and marketers in the digital space.

Finalists will also get a kiosk on the ad:tech floor to showcase their wares.

So why is ad:tech’s competition so important?

$8,000,000,000.00

That is the amount of buying power held by the ad:tech audience. Presenting at this – the largest digital marketing event in the world – gives you more direct access to media and marketing decision makers. Whereas other shows focus on connecting with VCs and money people, ad:tech is focused on finding PAYING CUSTOMERS.

Four one-hour sessions in the ad:tech NY Conference will be focused on the competition, one for each of the categories listed above.

There are a few prereqs:

•Finalists will be delivering a short presentation of their capabilities, which MUST be focused on how their offering helps marketers.
•Must be founded since 2008
•Must have moved beyond Angel or Seed, and have a product that already exists, at least in beta
•Must incorporate a new technology or platform or that exploits a new behavior that helps today’s digital marketers
Hurry! Nominations close Friday July 22 at 5PM Pacific. Apply here.

Note that the competition is separate from my project here in identifying a start-up per day. I am just a concerned citizen – LOL – and not an ad:tech representative.

To be eligible, even if I have written about you here, you will need to apply (or have a fan apply on your behalf.)