Start-ups invited to ANZA’s latest Pitch Slam series

Tech start-ups are being invited to attend the last Pitch Slam series for 2011, hosted by ANZA Technology Network, featuring internationally-renowned speakers who will help new companies crack overseas markets.

Based in the United States, ANZA Technology Network helps innovative tech and biotech companies achieve global commercialisation in the US and China.

Later this month, ANZA will run its last Pitch Slam series for 2011 in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The events follow the inaugural round in May, which saw more than 50 companies receive their G/Score.

The G/Score is a measurement devised by US analyst firm Guidewire Group, which has worked in partnership with ANZA for the last five years.

It provides companies with a score of one to four across seven key business factors: concept, market opportunity, competitive landscape, product execution, business execution, team and business model.

This round of events will feature Guidewire Group chief executive Chris Shipley, who also developed the G/Score, in addition to Mailman Group CEO Andrew Collins and serial Australian entrepreneur Jennifer Zanich.

In addition to scoring each company, this select group will provide insight into the current state of the US and China markets.

ANZA chief executive Viki Forest says all three industry experts bring a wealth of firsthand, in-market experience to the sessions.

“The real value is in [their] global perspective… ANZA’s mentors are entrepreneurs who have built globally competitive businesses, from start-up to successful exit,” Forest says.

“They have taken products to market, raised capital [and] built high-performing teams. They have been on both sides of the board table and the investment table, and they have M&A and IPO experience.”

Forest says there are strictly 60 slots available – 20 in each city – and companies participate on a first-come, first-served basis, pointing out that the Pitch Slam series held in May sold out.

“If you are considering doing business in the US or China, you must not miss these world-class programs,” she says.

“[They] provide startups and early-stage companies with actionable, unbiased feedback about your strengths and opportunities for export and growth.”

ANZA is holding another event in Australia on August 18, for Victorian entrepreneurs, titled The US and China: How to Win in the Two Largest Tech Markets.

Speakers include Andrews Collins and Olivier Jerphagnon, a serial entrepreneur in the US clean tech space.

Jerphagnon is co-founder of The Green Valley, based in Silicon Valley, which provides a fresh perspective on the clean tech industry and assists sustainable businesses at critical steps of their growth.