The teams tasked with taking the 20-entry field of New Beverage Showdown 6 down to six finalists and one ultimate victor has a mix of entrepreneurs, investors, executives, marketing and design experts, and BevNET’s own founder and CEO, John Craven.

Ian McLean, McLean Design

The New Beverage Showdown kicks off BevNET Live Winter ’13 at 8 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 9 with presentation from all 20 semifinalists. Judges include:

• Branding expert Ian McLean, Founder and CEO, McLean Design
• Entrepreneur and product consultant Eric Schnell, Founder and CEO, Metabrand
• Beverage distributor Jeff White, CEO, Statewide Beverage Liaison to Entrepreneurs
• Matthew Mitchell, Director of Business Development for Coca-Cola’s Venturing and Emerging Brands
• John Craven, Founder and CEO, BevNET

The list of entrepreneurs advancing to the next round will be revealed before lunch on Monday.

Mark Rampolla, ZICO

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, a total of six New Beverage Showdown finalists will give longer presentations to:

• Entrepreneur Mark Rampolla, founder of ZICO
• John Craven, Founder and CEO, BevNET
• Marketing and sales expert Greg Fleishman, CMO, Suja
• Beverage retail gatekeepere Kelly Marlowe, Beverage Category Merchant, Fresh Direct
• Investor and Entrepreneur Andrew Black, CEO of BrandProject

The judges will discuss their results and name the lucky winner of the New Beverage Showdown — and a $5,000 check, courtesy of contest sponsor VEB — will be announced on Tuesday at 3:40 p.m. Set your calendar, set your watch, set your livestream for this exciting event!