Registration is now open through July 30 for the Israel Tournament of the 2010 Mobile Innovation Grand Prix competition, which the GSMA created to showcase promising entrepreneurs from small and medium-sized companies introducing innovative new products and services to market. Winners will be announced at the 13th annual Journey Conference scheduled for September 15 in Tel Aviv. The conference also will feature the full-day GSMA Mobile Innovation track.

Companies can enter the Israel leg of the competition for free with the code GSMAISRAEL09. Participants must be paid members of the Mobile Information Exchange (MIX) community. The judges will include senior executives from mobile operators and VC firms. Up to 10 companies will be selected to “pitch” during the GSMA Mobile Innovation track, and two overall winners will win a trip to compete for the Mobile Innovation Grand Prix title at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2010.

The GSMA Mobile Innovation track, which will be available live at www.mobileinnovation.org/events/israel, will feature three keynote speeches as well as a senior-level panel discussion. Overall, the Journey Conference will encompass plenary sessions, panels, and workshops as well as a dedicated healthcare track. Its 2000 expected participants will include venture capitalists, investors, entrepreneurs, investment banks, consultants and service providers, and members of academia.

“Innovation has long been at the heart of the mobile industry, and this event will provide a valuable opportunity for companies from Israel and beyond to pitch new mobile technology, service, and business propositions to senior executives from operator and VC communities,” said Bill Gajda, chief commercial officer with the GSMA. “Further, the GSMA actively fosters innovation through its Mobile Innovation initiative and Mobile Innovation Exchange, an online hub and community for young, small and medium-sized players to connect with the broader mobile ecosystem.”

“Today, more than ever, the worlds of online and mobile continue to converge and startups have a unique opportunity to reach millions of users by partnering with carriers, handset, and platform vendors,” said Rina Shainski, general partner at Carmel Ventures, which is hosting the Israel Tournament with the GSMA. “We encourage any startup with innovative mobile products and solutions to enroll and compete in the GSMA’s Mobile Innovation Grand Prix competition.”

GSMA Mobile Innovation Grand Prix

Related Articles: