GeoNext Startup Showcase to reward location-based innovations

Start-ups looking to make their mark with location-based technology are being urged to submit their pitch for the GeoNext Startup Showcase, with prizes including a two-hour strategy session on capital raising.

GeoNext, to be held at Australian Technology Park in Sydney on February 27, is a conference on location-based technology and business, aimed at practitioners of location-based technology.

The audience will be made up of experts from the fields of geographic information systems (GIS), mapping, mobility, software development and business.

As part of the conference, GeoNext will host a Startup Showcase, and entrepreneurs are being encouraged to submit their pitch.

The showcase will give start-ups the chance to get in front of potential investors, users and partners. Pitches must be submitted via the GeoNext website by February 13.

The judging panel will nominate three finalists by February 20. All finalists will have five minutes to pitch to the judging panel and audience on the day of the conference.

The judging panel – which includes 3eep Ventures’ Rob Antulov, Pollenizer’s Robert Love and Bill Bartee from Southern Cross Venture Partners – will choose a winner based on the presentations provided. Audience members will also choose an audience favourite.

Prizes include free cloud on Ninefold up to a value of $2,500, and a two-hour strategy session on capital raising with Jack Lowenstein and John Starr

Lowenstein is the joint chief investment officer and managing director of Morphic Asset Management, and was the deputy chief investment officer at Hunter Hall.

Starr, meanwhile, is an American lawyer who has been involved with venture capital activities in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, including a stint with Starbucks.

According to a GeoNext spokesperson, location-based technology is “hot”.

“Geo technology is a key component in many of the big stories in the tech industry,” he wrote on Silicon Beach Australia.

“From checking in on Foursquare to finding deals on Groupon and posting pics on Instagram, it’s all about location.

“Geonext is a new gathering, and aims to connect all users of geo and mash up the emerging threads of geo users and communities to inspire, collaborate and redefine what it means to be a geo professional.”