I’m pleased to announce the date of the next official TWiSTldn Meetup – 21st June 2011.
In what is now the new format for the TWiST Global Meetups, it’s a London takeover! A whole show dedicated to the cream of London Startups, like GnuTrade, Tripbod and YReceipts who were all previous winners and received amazing responses from the event.
As usual, we will have 6 amazing companies pitching the room of fellow entrepreneurs, investors, geeks and gurus. The top 3, as voted at the event based on the quality of the idea and quality of the presentation, will then pitch Live on an episode of This Week in Startups, hosted by Jason Calacanis and Tyler Crowley.
Location and exact times are to be confirmed so watch this space.
If you want to attend the meetup, head to http://twistldn4.eventbrite.com to register your early bird ticket and avoid disappointment – they will sell out fast!
If you want to pitch, email steve@twistldn.com for details. Again, get in early as there is only 6 spaces for the best companies.
Watch out for extra news about the event here as well – This Week In have a new production team and they’re going to pull out all of the stops to make this the best TWiSTldn event yet!
Here’s the video from our latest event – you’ve seen the short pitch given by the guys from YReceipts to Jason and Tyler, but for those wanting to know more about this hot startup who’s trying to solve a problem all of us want rid of, here’s the extended version. YReceipts everyone, give it up…!!!!
Well, what can I say? What a show, what an event, what a bunch of great people, companies and ideas.
And what a response. It’s fair to say that London’s selected companies did us proud, when Tripbod, YReceipts, GoingGoingBike and Minutebox truly represented a vibrant and growing tech-scene evolving in and around London. I know Jason and Tyler were blown away by the companies and their representatives, to the extent that, if it were feasible, I think Jason would have pulled his cheque book out and invested more than once live on the show. I think everyone thought that was going to happen when Tripbod stepped up first and got an immediate and extremely positive response.
Surprisingly and rather wonderfully, all 7 companies – even the ones that didn’t get to pitch live – Iconic.fm, Adavengers, and UbiCabs (which by the way were also incredibly impressive) – were invited to attend as Jason’s guests at the upcoming Launch Conference, taking place 23/24th February at the San Francisco Design Centre.
Thanks to Taylor Wessing, in particular Guy Morgan, for the AMAZING location, with beautiful views from the 10th floor across the London skyline. Thanks to Mick Coulter once again for his help with the video and still photography.
I’m going to save the full autopsy for the individual pitch videos, so for now, I’ll just leave you to enjoy one of the BEST TWiST Episodes ever!
Our friends from Northern Ireland, FlowJob, were forced to withdraw at the last minute this evening – opening the door for another company to join our impressive list of pitching companies. Enter UbiCabs, a mobile web product that enables you to book taxi and minicab services using your mobile device. Both Founders Jay Patel and Lorenzo Caffarri will be attending and giving us the low down on their new product.
We already announced that the previous TWiSTldn winners Tripbod are the first company on the roster for Tuesday's line-up. But this update is all about the other companies showcasing their products and services at the meetup. Going through in alphabetical order, here's the first 3 in the spotlight.
"Democratising Advertising". Ad Avengers is a platform built to connect brands and creatives. We want to revolutionize the way advertising works on the internet. Ad Avengers makes it easier for brands, large and small, to have ads designed and built that truly represent them.
Pitching - Ryan Cleland-Bogle (COO) and Richard Brown (CTO)
"Ireland's Best Local Job and Service Marketplace!" – FlowJob is an online marketplace that brings together Service Providers of all types with Customers who currently need Jobs done.
"The Auction Site Bikes want to be sold on" – Dedicated bike auction site, bike crime fighter and match maker for your ideal bike.
The Pitching Format
The character and style of TWiSTldn Meetup is that of frenetic pace, dynamic and succinct pitches, interactive and lively Q&A with a knowledgeable audience of peers. It is different to any other meetup event you'll have been to. Unique is the competitive element, where based on the audience votes, companies are shortlisted to re-pitch to entrepreneur, angel investor and host of This Week in Startups – Jason Calacanis.
So, what specifically do pitching companies need to know?
1. You need a 3 minute and 1 minute polished and perfected elevator pitch ready to real of at a moments notice.
2. You can use a supporting presentation, even if it is a Powerpoint. But beware – do not expect a warm reception to an over reliance on the slides of death.
3. Given that you have a strict 3 minute time-frame for your first pitch, and even less for the live show, it is advised that you don't use any pre-recorded videos. This pitch is as much about you the entrepreneur and your presentation ability as it is about your idea.
4. You will have a 10 minute Q & A after your pitch. Be prepared to think on your feet and engage the audience – how you answer questions is often the difference between a average pitch and a great pitch.
5. You will be scored on your Business Idea and your Presentation, out of 10 (10 being best!). Concentrate on both, don't neglect one in favour of the other.
6. Focus on product. If you're going to show something, show a product – even if it's screen shots. A 30 second demo of a great product is going to be much more welcome than any presentation – especially if the product kicks ass!
7. Demonstrate the Use Cases – who's already using your product? how are they using it? what interesting analysis have you done of this activity? Interesting anecdotes and bizarre stories also go down well, but perhaps save them for the Q&A.
Anyone else got any tips they want to share with the companies? Any words of encouragement? Tweet them @twistldn
Any more questions about the pitching format, send to steve@twistldn.com or check out www.twistldn.com as we'll post the boring but useful info there.
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Our friends from Northern Ireland, FlowJob, were forced to withdraw at the last minute this evening – opening the door for another company to join our impressive list of pitching companies. Enter UbiCabs, a mobile web product that enables you to book taxi and minicab services using your mobile device. Both Founders Jay Patel and Lorenzo Caffarri will be attending and giving us the low down on their new product.
