...technology and trends

Proven pitch format that helped to launch Pinterest, Tivo and Salesforce coming to Moscow in June

Moscow, Russia, 14 May 2013 – Digital October, a hotspot for digital entrepreneurship located in Moscow, today announced the first ever DEMO event for the European market. Taking place on 3-4 June, DEMO Europe will gather the hottest technologies from the entire continent for a grand two-day showcase.

DEMO Europe will see around 50 companies pitching their new products, services and solutions to an audience of investors, consumers and media. The event is divided up into high-profile industry sectors, and the first three categories to be announced are those of Mobile, Cloud and Music & Media.

The Mobile stream will examine the latest technologies and trends in this rapidly-growing sector. Applications for this category are extremely high, with 40% of the 100+ submissions coming from this industry sector. The Cloud theme will explore how cloud services and software-as-a-service (SaaS) is replacing traditional software, whilst Music & Media will question to what extent this landscape has been disrupted by the advent of the internet and which are the new business models most likely to survive.

Ron Croen, founder of Volio, commented, "I launched Nuance at Demo in 1996 and it gave me a platform to present to the tech world which I would never otherwise have had. It put us in the big leagues. As a 'returning customer', I saw the same advantages with DEMO Mobile. I was pleased to be able to launch my newest venture, Volio, at this year's DEMO Mobile. The world has changed and Demo has kept up - they fielded a best in class team and enabled us to get our story across far beyond what we imagined possible."

Neal Silvernam, SVP and GM of DEMO Conferences, added, "In today's competitive mobile environment, it's crucial that entrepreneurs and start-ups are given the best possible opportunity to get their solutions noticed. DEMO Europe will enable new technologies to be seen by the right people at the right time in their development."

Each of the themed sections will begin with six-minute pitches from the pre-selected start-ups and entrepreneurs, followed by an Alphapitch session, consisting of 90 second pitches by companies at a much earlier developmental stage. The pitches are followed by a Founder Feedback panel session, featuring relevant experts discussing general trends in the industry and applying them to the products they’ve just seen. Each category is rounded up by a Keynote speech from an influential figure in that industry.

In the mobile sector, the recent acquisition of Orchestra’s Mailbox app by Dropbox is another confirmation of the industry’s growth. Gentry Underwood of Orchestra (creator of Mailbox, recently purchased by Dropbox) will talk about the revolutionary changes shaping the mobile industry. The Cloud keynote will be given by Serguei Belousov, chairman and founder of Parallels and managing partner of Runa Capital, who will discuss the future of the industry, new business models available and the start-ups he is seeing in this area.

“As an international launch platform, DEMO has seen tremendous innovation from start-ups all over the world,” Peter Tatischev of Digital October explained. “Russia has been selected as the location for the first DEMO Europe because of its unparalleled access to the local market. The amount of venture capital in Russia more than doubled in 2012 and DEMO Europe brings together active venture capitalists, angels and corporate investors looking to invest in the next big thing in Europe. Russia also boasts the largest online population in Europe and is highly receptive to new products and services, with Moscow seeking to create favourable conditions for international companies and entrepreneurs.”

The DEMO format differs from other conferences in that it is not a start-up battle but a showcase for entrepreneurs to present their technologies. Digital October selects the most promising start-ups and entrepreneurs in the region and helps them to produce and present a high quality, professionally-prepared, six minute product demo in which they demonstrate how their product will change the world.

In order to help them do this, Digital October provides personal presentation coaching, technical expertise, product rehearsal and PR training, enabling each company to reach its full potential. Certified DEMO coach Nathan Gold, who has been coaching companies for DEMO since 2000, helps companies prepare their DEMO launch presentations ahead of June’s event, with scripting, production and delivery of the timed live demo.

Digital October is a centre for the globally-minded technology entrepreneurship community based in Moscow. Its focus is on new technologies and technology entrepreneurship, providing educational programmes and hosting international conferences and presentations of new technology products.

DEMO Europe is the newest addition to the DEMO line-up and the first to take place in Europe. Over the past 22 years, DEMO has been a launchpad for companies such as Pinterest, salesforce.com, Webex, Netscape, Tivo, GarageBand and more, helping them to secure venture funding, establish critical business relationships, and influence early adopters. In the past five years, DEMO companies have raised over $4.5 billion dollars following their debut at DEMO. Recently the conference has expanded outside Silicon Valley with conferences in China, India, Brazil and Africa.