Industry Innovators urged to submit Pitch ICE entries

This year’s event, in association with Sports Gaming Investment Fund (SGIF), will see five of the sharpest minds in the business present a host of new ideas to a panel of experienced judges and a large industry audience.

Each will have a seven-minute accelerator pitch to impress their peers at ICE North America in New Orleans on May 14th. As well as the kudos of being crowned winner, the company that triumphs will receive a free exhibition stand at the conference in 2021.   

Ewa Bakun, Director of Industry Insight and Engagement at Clarion Gaming said: “Pitch ICE is a great opportunity for innovative companies seeking partners, customers or investors and will give us a real insight into what the future of the industry has in store.

“We are looking for companies to submit their great idea which has yet to attract serious outside investment. If they can make a good business case for it in front of an influential audience, they may well find the final piece of the jigsaw.”

SGIF is the first venture capital fund dedicated to investing in companies involved in the emerging market for legal sports betting in the United States.

Managing Partner David Sargeant said: “Pitch ICE is the perfect opportunity for us to assess the next generation of products and services which will help both operators and suppliers grow their revenues and differentiate their offering in a highly competitive industry.”

Originally launched at GiGse in 2011 before moving to ICE North America in 2019, Pitch ICE boasts a long list of successful winners including BlueBat Games (acquired by Greentube) and NumberFire (acquired by FanDuel).

Last year’s winner, Sam Rattner from LineLibrary, added: “Pitch ICE was a great opportunity for us and put us directly in front of the right industry audience all in one room.

“One of the judges quickly decided that he would invest in us and we haven’t looked back since. I would highly recommend the competition to anyone who has a good idea that they are ready to share and are looking for investment.”

Companies who are keen to enter Pitch ICE should go to the ICE North America website to check the criteria before submitting a short video about their idea. The deadline for submissions is March 22^nd.

ICE North America’s conference programme of over 150 plus speakers is available for free, covering a diverse range of topics including casino, sports betting, affiliate marketing, lottery, eSports, payments and hospitality technology.