Last week, eMerge Americas celebrated its 10th year at the Miami Beach Convention Center, and Vugo was there as part of its Startup Showcase. It's a classic startup pitch competition: hundreds of companies applied, 110 made the program, and Vugo placed in the Top 25.
The program
eMerge's Global Startup Accelerator and Showcase isn't just a booth at a conference. The 110 companies selected this year went through a six-week accelerator before the event, then exhibited side by side in Startup Alley, at the heart of the expo floor, on April 18 and 19.
All 110 were in the running for a $520,000 grand prize from Florida Funders, BIP Ventures and Medina Ventures. The field was narrowed to 25 semi-finalists, then to five finalists, who pitched on the main stage. Being named to the Top 25, in a field that ran from fintech and health tech to edtech, climate tech and cybersecurity, is a real honor for a mobility media company.
Congratulations to EVQLV, the Miami-based company using AI for antibody discovery, which took the grand prize, and to all five finalists.
Watch the pitch
eMerge recorded the pitch sessions. Vugo's pitch, with the judges' questions, starts at 1:20:40 in the early-stage session.
What we showed
We came to Miami Beach to talk about people in motion, and how brands can reach them.
Inside the car, Vugo's in-vehicle displays put a screen in front of the back seat in rideshare, taxi and fleet vehicles. On top of the car, digital rooftop displays are seen up and down the street. On the outside, vehicle wraps turn cars into moving billboards, and swarms bring those wrapped cars to a venue or route for a window the advertiser chooses. Miami knows that well: it's where the Bitcoin 2022 conference put all four to work. Read the case study.
Behind it all is TripIntent®, which helps decide which ad comes next based on the places around the car. It's a priority, never a filter: it puts the most relevant ad first without shutting the others out.
Thank you, eMerge
Thank you to the eMerge Americas team, the mentors in the accelerator and everyone who stopped by our booth. Ten years in, eMerge has made Miami one of the best places to meet the people building what comes next.
If we didn't get a chance to meet in Miami Beach, we'd love to talk. Read our eMerge preview, see in-vehicle screens, vehicle wraps and swarms, or get in touch.