The International Drone Expo Announces Pitchfest In Program Line-up

The second International Drone Expo (IDE) and Drone Business Conference has announced plans for the IDE 2015 Drone Pitchfest, which it says is a "once in a lifetime opportunity for drone entrepreneurs to get in front of the most influential venture capitalists dominating the powerful drone community with $150,000 of funding to be won."  Professionals and influencers pioneering the way in the industry will be sharing their insight at the largest global commercial drone community gathering which will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center December 11 and 12.

Presented by DJI, Aerial Media Pros, Multicopter Warehouse and DroneFly, the IDE 2015 Drone Pitchfest will feature submission categories covering drone hardware, software and service maintenance.  Qualcomm Ventures, the investment arm of Qualcomm Incorporated, a Fortune 500 company with operations across the globe, will be judging the IDE 2015 Drone Pitchfest, alongside AECOM, Wharton Alumni Angel Network, LightSpeed Accelerator, Starbright Accelerator and AirMap.io, awarding $150,000 in prizes among three fortuitous winners.  Submissions will open Mon., August 17 and conclude Fri., October 16.

"As with all new business sectors, venture capital and early stage investors are hedging their bets to see who will emerge as the clear commercial drone leader and the first to be listed on a major index," said Keith Kaplan, co-founder and CEO, UAVSA.  "Drones are one of the hottest early-stage investment segments since the Internet boom.  IDE's 2015 Drone Pitchfest may decide who will be the next drone billionaire."

IDE will feature a compelling lineup of industry visionaries and will cover topics including:

• The New Drone Economy - An Overview of a Global Movement
• Drones and the Future of Aerospace
• Aerial Sensors and Big Data
• Cinematography and Creative Applications
• The Future of Education and Jobs in Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Early registration for IDE 2015 is available now for the business conference for $295, and the expo for $25.

IDE was created by the Unmanned Autonomous Vehicle Systems Association (UAVSA), the only worldwide drone association focused solely on the commercial prosumer, operator, pilot, innovator, entrepreneur, company and community. This year, the UAVSA is partnering with E.J. Krause & Associates, a presidentially awarded international expo company bringing premier technology and staging to conferences globally, to produce IDE 2015.

FMI: www.intdroneexpo.com