January 28th, 2009
Twiistup preview - which companies made the cut?
Last fall I wrote a little guest piece for Mashable about some great conferences that achieved success primarily through word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM). One such conference was Twiistup, founded by Mike Macadaan. Based in Los Angeles with a strong focus on L.A.-borne innovation, Twiistup pegs itself as a disruption to larger conferences. As I wrote:
On a small scale, it rivals DEMO in that it features several startups selected to debut their products to an audience of media, technologists, venture capitalists and potential angel investors. What it has going beyond DEMO is its more “Webby” feel and almost cocktail party atmosphere.
“You can go sit in an auditorium and listen for three to four days, but typically the best stuff happens in the hallways, during breaks and the happy hours,” Macadaan said. “That’s where you get to meet likeminded people in a natural setting and real conversatios start to happen.”
The focus is to showcase innovation that stands as a “space leader” for solving real problems. Macadaan says the judges rate the companies first and foremost on solving unmet needs. The companies don’t necessarily new, they just need to be addressing a need that, in the judges’ views, are not being strongly challenged in the marketplace.
“The technologies don’t just meet IT needs, but everyday human needs,” Macadaan said. “Second to that the judges review specifics about the companies themselves — founders, experience, technological advnatage, and how they’ve spent their money. Companies that have done a lot and made progress with small amounts of people and without burning through money are usually focused and disciplined.”
Twiistup 5 is happening on Thursday, Feb. 12, at Private Hangar West LA and the Twiistup team currently expects about 1,000 people. The judges have already determined 10 finalists (which attendees can vote for on the event site and at the event itself) and I asked Macadaan why each were on the Twiistup judges’ radar:
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Jennifer Leggio, aka "Mediaphyter," writes about the "social business" side of social media - including enterprise, security and reputation issues. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.
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