Top startups will meet at Google HQ, NYC

A vetted pick of rising travel startups from North, Central and South America will converge at Google HQ in NYC for Phocuswright’s one-day startup pitch event. Will you be there?

Eugene Ko, Senior Marketing Manager for Phocuswright, answers our questions abut the upcoming edition of Battleground: The Americas at Google HQ in New York City (July 11, 2019).

🎟 Book your attendee ticket by July 8.

What’s in store for the 2019 Battleground competition?

Phocuswright’s Battleground: The Americas features the most innovative early-stage startups from North, Central and South America.

This one-day event is dedicated to bringing promising travel innovators into the limelight to demonstrate fresh ideas in front of potential investors and partners.

Our team of analysts, research and innovation experts, and event managers are really excited for this upcoming edition, and hope you will join us.

How does the competition work?

During Battleground, 10 companies have nine minutes each to demonstrate their innovations to a panel of sometimes ruthless and uncensored judges, and the cheers or jeers of a live audience.

In the end, only the most promising company wins the right to move on to be part of the Summit at The Phocuswright Conference, where they will demonstrate on the main stage in front of the most discerning audience in travel.

Between pitches, we will feature an intimate keynote session with Sam Shank of HotelTonight. Following the demos, attendees can network and have drinks within the beautiful space at Google HQ.

Who won the competition in 2018 and why?

In 2018, distribution technology startup Arise won and went on to compete at The Phocuswright Conference Summit competition in front of nearly 1,600 industry leaders.

Arise is a distributed network for hotels and the ecosystem of products and services around them. Their blockchain-based technology allows hotels to work directly with anyone that wants to sell hotel rooms in a trustworthy way.

This was an appealing tech solution – providing a direct and efficient path for data to flow between connected industry partners, and the judges recognized CEO Nadim El Manawy’s grasp of the technology. Plus, he managed to give a presentation about blockchain technology without ever saying the (buzz)word “blockchain”.

What type of startups will compete?

The criteria to compete is as follows:

• Startup company 48 months (4 years) or younger
• Based in North, Central or South America
• US$2 million or less in funding
• Must pass Phocuswright screening

Companies need to be able to demonstrate a true solution for the industry using innovative technology and brilliant ideas. The judges appreciate companies that are looking into a specific area of the traveler life cycle, with a proven track record or applicable tech.

What are the highlights for the audience?

Attendees can expect to see some of the newest and latest industry solutions and technologies.

Our analyst team screens each application to choose the ten best companies that have the potential to disrupt or move the industry forward.

Also, with an intimate setting of just 150 attendees at the Google HQ in New York City, the audience will be able to network and find like-minded peers, who have their finger on the pulse of travel innovation.

🚀 Startup aficionados, get your attendee ticket by July 8.

Follow Phocuswright on Travel Massive to connect with them and learn more.