A “Shark” will be circling the waters at the Global Gaming Expo.
Fubu Founder and CEO Daymond John, one of the featured entrepreneurs on the ABC/CNBC television series Shark Tank, and Cindy Eckert, founder of Pink Ceiling and CEO of Sprout, are seeking the next gaming industry innovation.
Fubu Founder/CEO Daymond John
In a Shark Tank-like setting, four gaming industry start-ups and students will have a chance to pitch their ideas to John and Eckert on the main stage at G2E for the opportunity to launch a gaming industry product or technology.
The presentations will be made in front of a live audience at the Innovation Incubator at G2E on Oct. 11 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.
The two business executives will select a winner – dubbed the “Shark’s Choice” – who will receive $10,000 and a complimentary 10-foot-by-10-foot booth at the 2019 G2E to showcase their product.
Allie Barth, vice president of industry relations for the American Gaming Association, said the Innovation Incubator is a first-of-its-kind event for G2E.
“The contest builds off the Global Gaming Expo’s commitment to featuring the newest technologies in the market,” Barth said. “We’re excited to bring the business ideas of students and start-ups to the forefront through this new event.”
AGA and Reed Expositions – producers of G2E, the gaming industry’s largest tradeshow and conference – have opened the application process for students and entrepreneurs to submit their business ideas.
The deadline to apply is July 27. Finalists will be announced in mid-August.
A panel of gaming industry experts will select the four finalists. Barth said the panel will “encompass diverse segments of gaming-entertainment industry professionals, including suppliers, tribal and commercial operators, and other gaming experts.”
Pink Ceiling CEO Cindy Eckert
The finalists will present their concepts to John and Eckert. There will then be a fast-paced question and answer session where the business leaders will explore the opportunity with each presenter.
The categories for finalists include: academic approach to gaming floor innovation; academic approach to hospitality and resort developments; start-up and/or academic approach to solve/streamline regulatory challenges; and start-up and/or academic approach to create greater efficiencies for operators/suppliers.
The audience will select a second-place winner – “Customer’s Choice” – and that person will also receive a complimentary 10-foot-by-10-foot 2019 G2E booth. Six additional runners-up – chosen by the gaming industry experts – will be able to present their ideas throughout the day on Oct. 11 at the AGA’s Innovation Lab (Booth #5833).
Barth said the idea for the competition came from success seen in the past two years of the AGA’s Innovation Lab at G2E and the working relationship with UNLV’s International Gaming Institute.
“There’s significant industry demand for innovation,” Barth said. “G2E has long been the place where exhibitors launch new products. We’re augmenting the exhibitors’ product debuts with hidden gems from students and startups to meet operators’ interest in new technologies that address solutions across the entire resort that complement the new product debuts from exhibitors”
The Innovation Lab is a centralized hub in the main G2E hall for TED-talk-style education programs. Innovation Lab sessions will address Big Data & Analytics and New Terrain & Emerging Markets on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10.
G2E is scheduled for Oct. 8-11 at the Sands Expo.
John founded Fubu, an urban clothing line that has become a $6 billion retail business. He has spent eight seasons on Shark Tank and has given countless aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to work alongside him and his team.
Eckert became CEO of Pink Ceiling in 2016 — a cross between a venture capital firm and a consulting enterprise. Through Pink Ceiling, she has personally invested $15 million across 10 different health technology companies at various stages of development.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgamingreports.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
