Record number of entries for Pitch ICE reflects the spirit of enterprise which sits at the heart of gaming

Pitch ICE, the progressive initiative which was introduced by Clarion Gaming over a decade ago to help nurture the development of start-ups and fledgling businesses in the gaming space, has received a huge increase in the number of entries.

The 2025 edition of Pitch ICE, which will be the first to take place in Barcelona, has attracted 73 entries compared to the 27 received for London 2024.

The Pitch ICE sessions taking place on Monday 20th January and Tuesday 21st January (11am – 12:30pm) will see 12 trailblazing start-ups present their business plans to a prestigious panel of judges and compete for the chance to win $50,000 (US) in deliverables courtesy of Pitch ICE sponsor NYCE International.

The short-listed enterprises are: EmpowerYourPlay; MFC Games; ChatBet; HotTakes; Betpass; SavageTech GmbH; Vulkan Systems S.L.; Reincleanchips AS; XGENIA; The Game Safety Institute; FootAR SA and AcePay.

The judging panel is made-up of leading voices in gaming and venture capital, including:

• Kelly Kehn, Co-Founder, Defy the Odds
• Harmen Brenninkmeijer, Executive Chairman, NYCE International Ltd.
• Mona Motwani, CEO & Founder, Ixia Capital
• Adam Rosenberg, Senior Advisor, Gaming & Leisure, Blackstone
• Farzad Peyman, CEO, NYCE International & Partner, Virya Gaming Ventures
• Tom Waterhouse, CIO, WaterhouseVC
• Miquel Martí, CEO, Tech Barcelona
• Garron Whitesman, Owner, Whitesmans Attorneys

Stuart Hunter Managing Director at Clarion Gaming is delighted that ICE remains at the forefront of gaming’s enterprise culture. He stated: “I am extremely proud that ICE has played an important role in bringing together the gaming ecosystem in such a way and being a facilitator of opportunity for companies which may be small in size but who are giants in terms of their creativity and potential.”

He continued: “The fact that this is the largest number of entries that we have received reflects the spirit of innovation that drives this amazing industry. Our new home at Fira Gran Via Barcelona will be full with exhibiting companies that began with a brilliant idea and through a mixture of inspiration and hard work grew to be where they are today.

“Pitch ICE 2025 will showcase the brightest ideas which have the potential to shape the future of gaming. With the generous support of our sponsors NYCE International and the insight of a judging panel whose expertise you simply couldn’t buy, I hope that we can collectively help turn those brilliant ideas into outstanding businesses.”

ICE Barcelona will be home to the industry’s best ever line-up of exhibitors comprising the world’s biggest and most respected innovator brands from every gambling vertical. The industry’s leading trade associations, strategic bodies, regulators, CEOs of tier-1 operators and games creators will all be at Barcelona in record-breaking numbers underlining the show’s reputation for being the ‘Davos of Gambling’.