Revolutionary reality television show calls for entrepreneurs to submit business ideas for new season
SINGAPORE, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Interactive.SG, the producer of Angel's Gate, today announced a call for submissions of fresh concepts and ideas for Season 2 of the business reality programme. Entrepreneurs from all over the world can now sign up on www.angelsgate.com for a chance to pitch their business ideas on TV to some of the region's successful angel investors.
Ash Singh, CEO of Interactive.SG and Creator of Angel's Gate, says: "The format of the show elicited a range of responses but we're delighted with the positive feedback and support from the start-up and investor communities. Angel's Gate has proven to be a great platform for entrepreneurs looking to create awareness of their new business ventures."
Angel's Gate Season 1 saw hundreds of business ideas being submitted, largely from Asia but also from other parts of the world. From these, 22 entrepreneurs were selected to have the opportunity to pitch directly to the angel investors on television. The show ran for eight consecutive weeks on regional broadcast network Channel NewsAsia and was viewed globally via YouTube. Angel's Gate gathered a lot of interest, crossing 1.5 million views on YouTube. The high degree of integration of social media and crowd-funding with traditional TV played an important role in the success of the show, both online and offline.
"The entrepreneurs we met in Season 1 were hungry for funding and publicity. And those who were really focused got what they wanted and more. Over the course of the eight episodes, entrepreneurs were offered more than US$1.5 million in funding," added Ash.
One such success story is John Fearon, Founder of Dropmysite, who appeared in Episode 8. "Participating in Angel's Gate has been a real life-changing experience where my business is concerned. Before coming on the show I was prepared to negotiate in a high pressure scenario and understood what terms I would accept. The funding we received after the show helped me grow the business and we now have 670,000 signups for our two websites www.Dropmysite.com and www.Dropmyemail.com,"says John.
John adds, "Angel's Gate also provided me the opportunity to gain the knowledge of experienced businessmen as well as give me much-needed exposure. Subsequently, we have been raising additional follow-on funding at a much higher company valuation. No doubt, my experience on the show helped me to engage investors, foresee challenges in obtaining funding and gain their insight and collaboration."
Angel's Gate Season 2 promises exciting enhancements including the recently activated crowd-funding feature on AngelsGate.com. The system enables funding of business ideas that have clear and tangible business objectives and prospects.
"Crowd-funding is the ultimate opportunity equalizer. It puts the power into the hands of anyone and everyone who wants to support great ideas," Singh shares. "We are planning to extend the length of the show so viewers can understand the mindset of the entrepreneur. We will also add some personal touches such as going into their homes and talking to their friends and family members. This is to enable the audience to identify and fall in love with the person behind the idea."
In April this year, Angel's Gate was presented to the industry at the annual MIPTV conference in Cannes, France. The show received a high level of interest from broadcasters in Europe, Asia and the United Kingdom. Plans to embark on localised versions of Angel's Gate around the world are in the pipeline.
Ash also credited the numerous brands that helped bring the platform to the level it is at today. "It is notable for a relatively new show such as Angel's Gate to have received so much industry support from prominent brands such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google, PayPal, Research In Motion, and NUS Business School amongst others."
Anyone can submit ideas on the Angel's Gate platform and be selected to pitch on the show. To help entrepreneurs beyond TV, the Angel's Gate fund has been set up to provide entrepreneurs up to US$250,000 in cash and grants.
Angel's Gate is also a programme with heart. It partnered with the CapitaLand Hope Foundation in Season 1 to donate S$1.00 for every 'like' generated by business ideas on the Angel's Gate website. So far, the project has raised S$40,000 that will be presented to four identified charities in Singapore. This initiative continues through Season 2, with a maximum of S$100,000 available for charity.
Angel's Gate Sponsorship
For sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail us at contact@angelsgate.com.
About Angel's Gate
Angel's Gate is Asia's premier reality TV series focusing on business and entrepreneurship. Backed by Asia's leading venture funds, the Angel's Gate is a 360-degree platform spanning TV, Web and Mobile that gives entrepreneurs the opportunity of a lifetime to pitch their dream business ideas to some of Asia's most successful investors. Angel's Gate is supported by Singapore's Media Development Authority. It is backed by Asia's leading venture funds and global brands such as BlackBerry, SingTel, NUS Business School, Audi, Canon, Google, Microsoft, PayPal, Skype, Sony, Fitness First, and partners including the ArtScience Museum, Focus Media, Rice Communications and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Singapore. For more information, visit www.angelsgate.com.
About Interactive SG
A leader in 360-degree media solutions, Interactive SG was founded in Singapore in 2007 and has grown quickly to be an established player in the web interactive services scene in the region. Interactive SG started out developing platforms and online tools for brands. It has worked with many established companies from diverse industries such as entertainment, technology, electronics and media. Interactive SG specialises in web design, flash applications, social media marketing, integrated revenue streams, e-commerce backend and web application development. Interactive SG's recent projects such as Angel's Gate incorporate the 360-degree media integration, making them an industry-leader in this field. For more information, visit www.interactive.sg.
Media Contact:
Rice Communications for Interactive SG
Donna Garcia and Kavita Balakrishnan
Tel: +65-6221-8729
Mob: +65-9734-8808; +65-8112-5872
Email: angelsgate@ricecomms.com
