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Chirp sings the praises of Deloitte-sponsored start-ups competition; One month to enter UK search for innovative wireless technologies sponsored by Deloitte
[July 29, 2014]

Chirp sings the praises of Deloitte-sponsored start-ups competition; One month to enter UK search for innovative wireless technologies sponsored by Deloitte


(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The winners of last years Discovering Start-Ups competition are urging young UK companies and entrepreneurs to enter the 2014 search for the most innovative wireless technologies and business opportunities.



Run by Cambridge Wireless (CW) with Europes number one university business incubator, SETsquared and hosted and sponsored by Deloitte, the free-to-enter competition gives finalists the opportunity to pitch their technologies and business plans to some 20 leading wireless industry investors and experts.

One of last years winners was Chirp, which has developed an innovative way to share mobile content such as links, photos and contacts - using sound.


Data can be shared from anything that carries audio: a mobile phone speaker, a radio, TV, an ATM, a YouTube video or a banner ad - everything from dedicated audio hardware to a doorbell. A chirp is a tiny clip of electronic birdsong, lasting about two seconds. The audio is encoded or decoded by the Chirp app as a sonic link to any mobile content. See more at http://chirp.io/ Taking part and being a winner of Discovering Start-Ups 2013 was a great experience, bringing us kudos and valuable exposure, said Patrick Bergel CEO and Founder of Chirp. Since the competition, Chirp has gone from strength to strength; weve picked up new users in over 188 countries worldwide, received mobile industry innovation awards and even had our product featured at Sochi Winter Olympics. We are just now in the process of closing a new funding round, with the lead investor based in Cambridge.

This year, the line-up of judges for Discovering Start-Ups 2014 will include senior executives from companies such as Amadeus, BT, Broadcom, Cambridge Angels, Google, IBM, London Business Angels, Orange Labs, Philips Innovation Services, Qualcomm Ventures and Samsung Electronics.

Now in its 5th year, the finals of Discovering Start-Ups will be hosted at Deloitte in London on the 22nd October and jointly sponsored by Qualcomm Ventures, Google, , Microlease & Agilent Technologies, IC Resources and Dorsey & Whitey. The competition is also supported by Tech City UK, techUK, New Entrepreneurs Foundation and UK Trade & Investment.

In addition to Chirp, the other winners of Discovering Start-Ups 2013 have all benefited from the competition and reflect the diversity of entrants.

WhiteSpace Water is looking to reduce water loss using wireless sensors and White Space spectrum; Ether Books has a mobile publishing and social commerce platform; Simpalarm has developed a family telecare monitoring systems; and SQR Systems innovative encryption technology makes it possible to securely distribute video over low-bandwidth and bandwidth varying networks.

Discovering Start-Ups is a tremendous showcase for the very best in UK wireless innovation, said Soraya Jones, CEO at CW. It is a great way to get noticed and pitch to some 20 much sought after investors and industry experts all at the same time.

Five ultimate winners will each receive a 500 cash prize sponsored by Qualcomm Ventures along with a prestigious Discovering Start-Ups trophy and a further opportunity to pitch to 400 global wireless delegates in the Innovation Hothouse at The Future of Wireless International Conference 2015 run by CW. The winners will also get one years free virtual membership to CW, the leading not-for-profit, international community for companies involved in the research, development and application of wireless and mobile technologies, and SETsquared, including a business MOT, networking and mentoring support, investor readiness training and the opportunity to be selected for various investor showcases in London and the US.

The closing date for entries is 26th August and the finals will be held on 22nd October at Deloitte offices in London. Discovering Start-Ups is open to start-ups and early-stage companies looking to take their businesses forward as well as design groups in larger companies looking to exploit new technologies and students or academics in education. Details to enter can be found at http://www.cambridgewireless.co.uk/dsu About Cambridge Wireless (CW) CW is the leading international community for companies involved in the research, development and application of wireless & mobile, internet, semiconductor and software technologies. With 400 members from major network operators and device manufacturers to innovative start-ups and universities, CW stimulates debate and collaboration, harnesses and shares knowledge, and helps to build connections between academia and industry.

CW's 20 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) provide its members with a dynamic forum where they can network with their peers, track the latest technology trends and business developments and position their organisations in key market sectors. CW also organises the annual Future of Wireless International Conference and Discovering Start-ups competition along with other high-quality industry networking events and dinners. With headquarters at the heart of Cambridge, UK, CW partners with other international industry clusters and organisations to extend its reach and remain at the forefront of global developments and business opportunities.

For more information, please visit www.cambridgewireless.co.uk About SETsquared SETsquared is a partnership between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey which specialises in growing high tech start-ups through its incubation programme and other acceleration services.

It provides mentoring, access to investors and corporates and a wide range of industry experts through its network and training programmes.

Its business incubation programme is ranked the best in Europe and second in the world and over the last decade it has developed over 1,000 high tech start-ups that have generated some 1bn in investment. It provides services from its innovation centres at the five universities but also supports companies virtually, giving every member access to the world leading business support. Find out more at www.setsquared.co.uk For Cambridge Wireless please contact: Lily Cheng Cambridge Wireless 01223 967101, [email protected] Issued by: Peter Rennison/Allie Andrews PRPR 01442 245030, [email protected] / [email protected] .

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