Next week 10 founders of high growth startups will demo and pitch their company in front of a mixed panel of investors and experts at the European Funding & Pitching event in Amsterdam, organized by The Next Women in cooperation with Astia and supported by Microsoft Bizspark. Here is the first batch of companies & founders to get to know.

1. Founder: Kimberly Rothman of Idlovetodothat (UK)

Online media advertising platform for sme's who offer courses and workshops in lifestyle categories, aimed at women 25 plus

Id love to do that is a high end, niche platform aimed at women that offers lifestyle courses and workshops. Unique in its easy to use and attractive design, the site has a collection that is rich in the unusual and the best that the UK has to offer. What sets us apart from any other is our reach to women with a site that has heart, not a listing, and will have a community where women can recommend, share ideas and life stories. More than ever women are networking and are using the web to make lifestyle decisions.

2.Founder: Linda Schulte of Preferenso (NL)

Preferenso is a people-powered service comparison website with co-improvement elements.

Customers can find the best companies, organisations and professionals here, recommended by other customers. Customers can review organisations and sent in there improvement ideas. Preferenso.nl shows companies what customers really want based on their reviews and comments.

3. Founder: Freena Eijffinger of Autitouch (NL)

Autitouch develops and licenses multitouch applications to speedup diagnosis of autism.

Diagnostics and treatment of autism disorders demand highly predictable and regular interaction. Although these functions are a perfect fit to realize with software, currently none are done so but are all done manually. Autitouch found a way to realize effective solutions for diagnostics and treatment of children and adolescents with autism. Therefore Autitouch develops and licenses intuitive software) on multitouch platforms. We plan to get our applications scientifically validated by Q3 2012 en go to market by Q4. Autitouch has won two prestigious innovation awards in 2011 and currently works through an TNO SBIR innovation grant.

4. Founder Carine de Meyere of K!M (NL)

K!M will be the first, interactive, 3rd generation children’s experience in the world

in which children are leading through use of their own creativity and knowledge. Interactive exhibitions will challenge their creative thinking, their cooperative qualities and leadership skills.

For K!M thinks in possibilities, providing children, teachers and caretakers a different outlook on life, namely a NEW outlook! K!M does not teach children about existing views and technology. K!M enourages self discovery through use of imagination yet working in teams which ultimately leads to new solutions. And that is exactly what the world currently needs.

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The NextWomen Pitching & Networking Evening - 29 November 2011 - Amsterdam

The NextWomen organize a Pitch Evening with Investors on November 29th in Amsterdam. The event, done in cooperation with Astia and sponsored by Microsoft Bizspark, aims to support women-led businesses prepare and practice their investment pitches with a real panel of investors, while running initial screening of high growth entrepreneurs for the Astia & Microsoft Bizspark.

The Pitch Evenings are highly appreciated events organized since the start of The NextWomen end of 2008 at the request of our readers, and it provides an excellent networking opportunity with the possibility to make lasting business connections.

"It was such an experience to participate in TheNextWomen! The feedback from the panel was invaluable, the people met most intriguing, and the whole experience exhilarating. Thank you for making the event such a blast! I truly enjoyed every minute of it, but can only imagine how much work it took to make it happen so smoothly." Heikki Haldre, Fits.me

The event will give women founders (experienced or with little or no experience in fundraising) a first review of their business plan by experts and investors and initial practice of their pitch in a friendly environment, gaining first-hand insights and feedback from experienced investors from the judging panel.

10  women-led startups will have an afternoon workshop to prepare for the evening pitches. Up to 25 guests will further join the event at 6pm.
 

Location: Evert van de Beekstraat 354 1118 CZ Schiphol, Amsterdam (map) 

Microsoft Offices, Schiphol Amsterdam

Date: Tuesday November 29, 2011

• 3-6pm Workshop required for all pitching entrepreneurs
• FOR ALL:
• 6-6:15pm Guests arrival and registration
• 6:15-6:30pm Entrepreneur Keynote by  Joëlle Frijters of Improve Digital
  
• 6:30-6:45pm Investor Keynote by Harry Helwegen of Business Angels Network Netherlands
• 6:45-7pm Networking Break with drinks
• 7pm-7:15pm introduction Judging Panel
  
• 7-9:30pm Funding Pitches & Demo's by 9 companies
• 9:30-10:15 pm Networking Break with drinks 
• Winner announcement and closing

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THE JUDGING & FEEDBACK PANEL & SPEAKERS

Joëlle Frijters, CEO Improve Digital

Joëlle is a CEO and Co-Founder of Improve Digital. She co-founded Improve Digital, coming from a role as Director Microsoft Media Networks EMEA, where she launched and overlooked all of Microsoft’s Private Ad Network business (today MMN) in Europe, solving company’s unsold inventory challenge. Before Microsoft, Joëlle was at the inception of a social media start-up under the wings of Nickelodeon and Isobar, later sold to Sanoma. Prior to that she worked at the head office of KLM Airlines, where she had her first experience with Yield Management.

Harry Helwegen, Chairman Business Angels The Netherlands (BAN)

Harry Helwegen is Owner at Diligence, Intermediary for M&A, and Founder & Chairman of Business Angels Network the Netherland.

Martijn Hamann, Investor at Van den Ende & Deitmers

Partner at “Van den Ende & Deitmers” –Venture Capital Partners In 2006 Martijn jointly with 2 other partners started and invested in the digital media & e-commerce investment fund Van den Ende & Deitmers. This EUR 150m fund is related to Europe’s media tycoon and entrepreneur Joop van den Ende. Some well-known investments of the fund are Eyeworks, SpilGames, Albelli, Metrixlab, Smartclip, Improve Digital and CentralPoint. Other portfolio companies which has been sold successfully are Hyves, Unamic/HCN, Paylogic and Bright magazine. Van den Ende & Deitmers is a rather operational driven venture firm with entrepreneurial roots, dedicated to building substantial international companies of lasting value. We provide growth capital to both early/mid stage European Digital Media and e-Commerce companies with strong international growth potential.

Alexandra Jankovich, Partner SparkOptimus

Alexandra Jankovich is one of the founding partners of SparkOptimus. Alexandra has over 20 years of experience in strategy consulting and in international (online) media. She has supported many leading players in the Netherlands in the media, online and communications sector in (digital) growth and transformation projects. Her expertise includes e-commerce, mobile, social media, video and gaming. Alexandra started her career as a strategy consultant at McKinsey&Company, after which she held various senior line positions in online media and marketing (Reed Elsevier, Last Minute.com) in New York, London and Amsterdam.

Mark Voermans, Microsoft Bizspark, The Netherlands

Mark Voermans is Emerging Business Manager at Microsoft and passionate about how technology innovation influences the world. He started his career in ICT in 1995. After working at a large Dutch telco, Mark joined Microsoft in 2000. Since 2000 he held different positions in the Dutch subsidiary of Microsoft and in his current role as Emerging Business Manager he is responsible for helping and supporting start-ups to become what’s next.  He manages a portfolio of over 650 software startups in the Netherlands and is always keen to spot the really interesting companies with the highest potential.

Maarten Oldenhof, CEO at AND Automotive Navigation Data NV, Investor

Maarten Oldenhof was from 1991 untill 1999 CFO, respectively CEO of Amsterdam Football Club Ajax. From 1999 untill 2002 he was board member of Amsterdam RAI Conference Center. He serves currently as CEO of AND Automotive Navigation Data NV, and is an investor in several startups.

Desiree van Boxtel, Founder Karmijn Kapitaal

Désirée van Boxtel has 17 year experience in private equity and entrepreneurship. She has built and managed ABN AMRO Participaties for SME companies. She has managed private equity investments for 7 years both for ABN AMRO and for informal investors. During the last 9 years she has also been an entrepreneur, a.o. built her own company and sold it successfully. Her strength and expertise lie with building new companies and growing them. She has an analytical approach, critical when necessary, and she is very creative and conceptual.

Simone Brummelhuis - VP Europe, Astia and CEO of The NextWomen

Simone Brummelhuis is the founder and CEO of The NextWomen, the Media Brand for Female Entrepreneurs. She worked for 10 years as a successful lawyer before becoming an entrepreneur by setting up her own B2B publishing company Brummsbooks. Thereafter, as co-owner and managing director IENS, she developed this start-up into the no. 1 user generated content database publisher of restaurant guides in The Netherlands. She is VP Europe of Astia on the UK Advisory Board of Astia.org, the venture accelerator for high-growth companies, and is a frequent speaker through TheNextSpeaker.