The submission process for for the Connected Innovators program at Supernova 2007 is now open. I co-sponsored this event with Kevin Werbach from Supernova last year, and we had an excellent batch of startups present to the audience.
Here’s how it works: Companies need to submit a brief application by April 27 that summarizes what makes their product groundbreaking and buzzworthy. The overall conference theme is Defining the New Network. Twelve companies will be selected to deliver on-stage presentations during a Supernova general session. I will be providing coverage of the presentations on TechCrunch. There is a participation fee for selected companies. Additional details on selection criteria, marketing benefits and program features are available here.
You’ll be familiar with last year’s Top 12 presenters: Attensa, Ether, Lifeio, Netvibes, PostApp, PROTOMOBL, Sharpcast, SoonR, StumbleUpon, Vpod.tv, Webaroo an Zixxo.
The Connected Innovators showcase will be held June 21 at the Westin St. Francisco in San Francisco.
TechCrunch readers are eligible to receive a $200 discount via email on early bird registrations for Supernova 2007, June 20-22. The discount expires May 11. To receive the discount, email tcreg@supernova2007.com for the code.
lol…$200 discount for a registration to the earlybirds – how much exactly does it cost to attend this event then?
what’s their to sponsor? – the organizers will more than make it up easily when they charge the 12 finalist a fee to present on-stage their concept
Great idea and good to see but is this the same as the “free” TechCrunch 20?
I definitely agree with Sam. Michael made some great points about why pay-to-present conferences don’t work — I hope this isn’t the culmination of that philosophy. And how much does it cost to attend (not as a presenter)?
sounds great.
Dont know about the 5 grand though.
Michael A.
I realize that there are several programs that help codrz with a good product build a startup. But there are very little going for individuals with good ideas and great marketing and business skills and very little technical experience.
You guys need to look into those too, chances are some good will come out of it.
I have read over my application, and I’m pretty sure I’m not a Top 12 Connected Innovator. What a downer. Way to top off a tough Monday.
I’d love to present my groundbreakingly buzzworthy idea of sharing videos of hot girls. So cutting edge.
It is so pathetic that in this day and age – expos are still using NUMBERS as a limit.
Each of these companies and their output represents the dreams and sweat of intelligent, hardworking people.
Extraordinary excellence has no numerical limit – forget about the number 12! Allow all superb companies to be acknowleged.
Would it not be absurd if it got to the point of reviewing 15 or so finalists with extaordinary products and then having to focus on whom to eliminate.
Usually in cases like that politics come into play.
it’s unanimous: this event is a croc
you need coin to watch – and even more coin to show.
I only recognize one of last year’s 12 presenters.
That “we charge the winners” model seems a tad shifty… Still, you’d probably be lucky to get that much attention if you invested $5,000 in PR elsewhere.
Mike, do you have a sense of whether last year’s “winners” thought it was a good investment? My gut feeling would be that they did.
That’s $1000/minute (not incl. transportation) … gangsta
Supernova is a bargain compared to Demo, which is nearly $20K.
- Demo 10k, Supernova 5k;
– It seems we all in the wrong business.
-RB
“Attensa, Ether, Lifeio, Netvibes, PostApp, PROTOMOBL, Sharpcast, SoonR, StumbleUpon, Vpod.tv, Webaroo an Zixxo”
Pffft. WHAT? These are company names? Sounds like somebody listed off the handles of a bunch of adolescent gamers. These are ridiculous.
Got to own those search results, right!
Wow. I was excited to apply for my company HubSpot, and then read the comments and confirmed that winners have to pay $5,000 just to appear. There is even a nice warning on the entry form to “make sure you can pay this fee before applying”. Cute.
Normally I love techCrunch. I read it all the time. I have not gone to a related event yet, and was thinking about it. But this one just seems so contrary to all the community building and open sharing of ideas we’ve all be working on the past few years. Basically, this fee means that unless you have raised $4-6 million from one of the VC shops, you are blocked out of this event, because even if you have a some good seed funding ($1m?) the ROI on this $5k is not good when compared to building product or acquiring customers.
Follow-up comment…
Read this:
http://www.tech...h20-conference/
Has something changed? Or is all that stuff about there being a conflict of interest when companies pay to present at conferences still hold true for this event?
Sounds like another Rock Star Supernova, and we all know what a train wreck that was
#17 mike – we probably won’t see any notes from arrington on this – tho it would be nice.
clearly this post conflicts with the one you point to. that was a huge hoopla when it was posted and on calacanis about how it will be so great not to charge. and how this is a “better way” – yet we support this?
hrm
Hey – This is SuperNova’s (and almost all conference’s) show. I worked with them last year, and will probably do it again next year. When I’m running the show (techcrunch20), things are different. The pay for speaking time format isn’t going away.