Deadline approaches for DiscoveryBeat 2010 Needle in the Haystack business idea contest

We’ve got just a couple of hours  left until the deadline for our Needle in the Haystack business idea contest for DiscoveryBeat 2010.

At our first DiscoveryBeat event last December, Ge Wang, chief technology officer and co-founder of Smule spoke about how his company made a deliberate effort to create humorous videos of people using Smule’s apps for the iPhone. Some were so entertaining they were viewed millions of times, giving Smule great exposure for its products. Lots of users discovered the Smule apps through YouTube, whose do-it-yourself, youth-oriented culture was a great match for the audience Smule was targeting on the iPhone. Overall, the marriage of the iPhone app and YouTube turned out to be a great idea for content discovery.

That’s the kind of story we’re looking for from entrants to the Needle in the Haystack contest for the best business idea related to discovery of content. If you’d like to enter the contest, click on this link and fill out the form before 5 pm today, PST, Oct. 1. There is no fee for entering the contest, which is open to companies big and small. The winner will get to go on stage before our audience of movers and shakers at DiscoveryBeat 2010, which takes place Oct. 18 at the Mission Bay conference center in San Francisco.

Getting content noticed is a challenge for everyone making apps. We’ll cover the topic at DiscoveryBeat 2010. Early bird discounts are available until September 22. Sponsors can contact us at sponsors@venturebeat.com. To buy tickets, click on this link.