Pitch ICE winner mentors new start-ups at EIG

Gamevy – the winner of the best start-up at Pitch ICE – will be presenting at EIG 2015 to share their journey with other start-ups within the gambling industry.

“Pitch ICE catapaulted us to success” said Gamevy Chairman, Paul Dolman-Darrall. “The exposure that GamCrowd and Clarion gave us, was what enabled us to find our first two customers and acquire investment. It involved making some hard decisions about our business plan – but that’s the key to success for any start up.”

A new genre in online gaming
An innovative, independent start-up, Gamevy has developed a new type of gambling game – one which combines skill, chance and life-changing jackpots. Aimed at a broader lottery demographic, Gamevy’s products are inspired by TV gameshows. They allow players to test differing skills, from trivia questions to word puzzles, test their luck and compete for prizes of up to £1 million.

A success story in the making
Since winning ICE, Gamevy have gone on to secure a partnership deal that should launch their games in the UK and Germany to over a million customers. They are developing further their core range of gameshows with other unique instant win games. Visitors to their stand SU8 in the Start-up village at EIG can play The Heist, Buzzword and Gears of Fortune – their signature games, as well as seeing ideas for their new range of quirky scratchcards.

A fascinating case study
The recent proliferation of start-up accelerators and labs within the industry shows that gambling is waking up to the need for innovation at every level. GamCrowd and Clarion Events have selected Gamevy as the ideal case study to showcase both the possibilities for innovation and the obstacles blocking progress.

“Gamevy are so determined,” comments Chris North, CEO of GamCrowd. “They are self-funded; they’re a licensed operator and supplier; they built their own products, security and systems – all independently. And yet they’re also very open about the problems – and how much easier their journey could have been with the right help”.

Gamevy will be sharing their experiences, insights and practical tips on dealing with key pain points with the EIG audience. Hot topics include: establishing banking services; dealing with regulators; product testing; finding a route to market.

One-to-one mentoring
Gamevy’s directors will also be on hand to provide one-to-one mentoring or small workshops with interested participants who wish to discuss some of the ideas raised by the talk and panel discussion.

“People have helped us,” said Marketing Director, Helen Walton, “and we’re happy to give back. We believe a more innovative industry is a healthier one. And certainly we would advise other start-ups to come to EIG or ICE and start presenting their ideas. Even if you don’t think you’re ready, you may find the boost here to take you to the next level.”