The National Association of Broadcasters has chosen five startup finalists for its PILOT Pitch Prize Competition, a live business-plan pitch event that will take place at NAB Show New York next month.
The first-year competition gives early-stage startups the chance to present business plans to support the operational efficiency, audience engagement, measurement, content distribution or enhanced user experience plans for broadcast and digital media operations. The five finalists will receive individual mentoring from angel investors at the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business leading up to their pitch.
The three winners will receive a $50,000 Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) contract to help with further business development, brand recognition and market awareness, and also have the opportunity to showcase their work at the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 6-11.
“We have had a tremendous response to the PILOT Pitch Prize competition and I’m delighted with the diversity of our five finalists and their work in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing work flows, content security, news accuracy, and Next-Gen TV,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny. “Innovators and attendees alike will learn from and enjoy the live and engaging pitch presentations and feedback from a seasoned panel of media executive judges.”
These media executives will select the three winners:
- Roger Keating - Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer for Hearst Television;
- Michele Laven – President, Strategic Partnerships Group for iHeartMedia;
- Mike Chapman - Managing Director of Accenture Strategy;
- Lora Dennis - Senior Vice President of Digital Media for NBC Owned Television Stations; and
- Tim Clarke - Vice President of Content and Audience for Cox Media Group.
[Read:NAB Launches Third Annual PILOT Innovation Challenge]
The PILOT Pitch Prize finalists are:
Airwavz.TV
Airwavz.tv designed the first digital TV antenna and receiver that enables smartphone users to receive live television broadcast programming directly from TV towers – even in areas without cell, internet, Wi-Fi or satellite service.
nedl
nedl allows radio listeners to search live audio with Speech-to-Text software and directs to a station’s live stream. nedl is live on Amazon Alexa.
Our.News
Our.News is a non-partisan fact-checking resource that provides validated background information on news publishers and determines the public’s view of the reliability of news articles, publishers, and journalists.
PolyPort
PolyPort offers complete digital asset management, tracking, and IP protection through security and encryption algorithms for content owners.
Teamium
Teamium is a cloud-based media production management platform that provides visual collaboration and business process tools that are designed with the latest digital technologies for video production teams.
The event will take place Oct. 17 at 3 p.m. during NAB Show New York at the Javits Convention Center. Click here to register for the show.
