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.
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.
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!