This document discusses Apps for Europe, a network that aims to connect open data events and competitions to help turn open data into viable businesses. It outlines opportunities for competition organizers, developers, and investors. A key initiative is hosting business lounges at events where app makers can meet potential clients, investors, and businesses to explore opportunities and get feedback on their ideas. The goal is to help open data apps and services find commercial success and prove the economic or social value of open data.

1. Turning data into business

2. What is Apps for Europe
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We are a thematic network
We create a business lounge format to connect to open data events
We host an EU competition for open data apps
We o!er support and aggregate knowledge
We want to turn open data into viable business

3. Are you a competition organiser
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Are you working with open data events, hackathons or competitions?
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Interact with other organisers and share experiences
Prove the value (economic or social) of open data
Connect app makers to potential clients, incubators, successful
businesses and investors
Create a business lounge at your own event

4. Are you a developer
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Meet local (and international) clients, incubators, businesses and
investors
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Get feedback on your app or idea
Explore the business opportunities of your app or service
Enter the EU competition and get selected for the international business
lounge @ FutureEverything next year

5. Are you an investor
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Are you working with startups, or want to invest in a great open data app
or service?
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Get to know the EU open data community
Bene"t from the knowledge of contest organisers
Meet other investors with similar interests

6. A Business Lounge is...
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What is a business
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A sustainable, and with a legal form initiative based on open data
Who is attending a business lounge?
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Participants
Somebody providing Feedback

7. A Business Lounge is...
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What do they do?
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Talk (a bit) Under a common criteria
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Previous information
Shared criteria …. Team, de"nition, business plan, market analysis
Connect for further contacts
Assess
Learn

8. A Business Lounge is...
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Who do they need?
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A quiet place…. (something could be con"dential)
A known and shared criteria
Previous information

9. A Business Lounge is...
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What happens next?
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An Initiative is born?
Follow-up participants -> their success is yours

10. Business Lounge setup
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Expert interviews (or presentations)
Speed dates with investors
Networking opportunities
Scorecards
Winner announced main stage

11. Preparation
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Call for participation
Select and brief best open data apps
Brief investors
Brief experts
Personal communication is key

12. Follow up
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One on one evaluation
Find out about matches that are made
Keep investors interested by connecting to network
Business related prizes for winner(s)

13. Lessons learnt
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Investors networking is important motivator
Maturity and quality of the team is important
Focus on market, rather than product
Ready for incubator or investor?
Pitch preparation

14. Questions?

15. Group discussion (15 minutes)
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Split up into groups of 4 or 5 people
Take a #ip-over sheet and marker
Map out what your think about:
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Possible bene!ts for you or your organisation
Possible obstacles
How to tackle them - solutions

16. Join the competition
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18th of September 2013: O$cial kicko! Apps for Europe Competition
@ OKCon in Geneva
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September to February: Several Business Lounges will be organised
throughout Europe
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7th of February 2014: O$cial deadline
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31st of March / 1st of April 2014: Winners participate in Business
Lounge event @ FutureEverything
20th of February 2014: Winners are informed of their selection to
participate in the Business Lounge @ Future Everything

17. Thank you
Ivonne Jansen-Dings, ivonne@waag.org
Alberto Abella, alberto.abella@rooter.es
www.appsforeurope.eu
The Apps for Europe consortium consists of: Waag Society, Forum Virium, NISV,
Kennisland, ESADE Business School, V-ICT-OR, Topix, CCSS, OKF, Future Everything, NESTA,
PTC Portugal Telecom, iMinds, Rooter, OKFN DE, OKFN BE, Europeana, EURECOM