The second Web & Mobility Summit, the event that aims to bring together Europe’s most innovative web & mobility start-ups, venture capitalists and industry professionals, took place last week in Montreux, Switzerland.
The committee consisting of business angels, venture capitalists and industry specialists has named Europe’s most promising web & mobility start-ups – the CEOs and VPs of 25 companies selected from a pool of over 400(!) had an opportunity to present to an international delegation of more than 100 influential investors, technology industry leaders, service providers and academics.
The selected companies come from some of the strongholds of the European scene, such as mobile social networks, mobile publishing, adserving and gaming, as well as ecommerce, e-business, payment and billing.
Although it was hard to find any big innovation listening to the presentations of the selected start-ups (they presented rather proven and well-tested ideas), it was noticeable that all of the companies are doing well, moneywise, even during the crisis, and it seems that this was a primary criteria for the selection.
“In the time of crisis, I’m looking forward to seeing well trained, well disciplined companies who have not gotten any funding for a while that are going to be more fine tuned and well developed, ” Robert Lang, President of the Summit, said Biz-News.com in the earlier interview, and it seems to be the confirmation of our observations.
Biz-News.com liked the idea of Madvertise – an internet-based mobile advertising network and online market place. The easy-to-use online auction system allows advertisers and agencies to quickly set-up cost effective mobile ad campaigns with a broad reach.
Aloqa, other interesting, Munich-based start-up, has developed an application that proactively notifies mobile users of social opportunities, such as Facebook friends close by, and recommends interesting places, services and events in their vicinity.
Path Intelligence’s FootPath product is “Google Analytics for the real world”, as this Portsmouth-based company calls it. FootPath detects anonymous data is broadcast by shopper’s phones and uses that data to provide aggregated and automated market research to mall owners.
Another interesting start-up, Apprupt aims to become an internationally wide reaching cross platform mobile application affiliate network and to brong relevance and addicional monetization opportunities to a non-transparent market environment.
Whereas Stockholm-based Videoplaza aims at becoming the number one platform globally for monetizing IP delivered video. The company develops and commercializes advanced web video advertising platform providing media owners a way to monetize IP delivered videos.
“Many of today’s big businesses come from the insane ideas that ware born in the heads of young entrepreneurs. And the most insane, but at the same time brave and successful ideas are born in the time of crisis,” said Martin Varsavsky, CEO of FON, trying to mobilize but also appreciate the start-ups during the gala dinner that took place in the Olympic Museum in Geneva.
“It’s important to note that the combo of doing great business and dealings mixed with the fine dining and mingling at a great venue is a surre fire way to keep the interest,” Lang noticed.
Sven Lingjaerde, Founder and President of European Tech Tour, said, “Getting access to venture financing in the current market situation is still tough for young companies, but the number of investment are increasing again.”
He thinks that great companies have often been built in times like these, when resources are scarce.
“Currently, there are many healthy, active companies out in the market with experienced management that could propel their development to the next level, with the appropriate amount of support from sophisticated investors. Since valuations are improving and cash itself is still a scarce resource, the second half of 2009 is going to be very interesting and will lay the foundation for the further development of a whole industry sector,” Lingjaerde added.
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