Startups in the UK only have a few days left to enter聽The Pitch, giving them the chance to access one-to-one pitch coaching, win a 拢5k grant for their business, and pitch to a panel of leading investors.
Leading Investors Back The Pitch
The Pitch is the UK鈥檚 largest competition for startups, with regional finals being held at聽Huckletree聽in London and Manchester,聽Origin Workspace聽in Bristol,聽Alpha Works聽in Birmingham, and the competition鈥檚 first ever trip to Edinburgh 鈥� with the location to be announced soon.
This year leading investors backing the competition include聽Redrice Ventures,聽Mercia Asset Management,聽Creative UK,聽Mission Ventures,聽Impact X Capital, and聽The Purposeful Project.
Tom March, Founder and investor at Redrice Ventures, says:
鈥淩edrice invests in consumer brands, platforms and related tech solutions. Past investments include The Pitch alumni fashion rental App By Rotation. I’m looking for founders looking to define popular culture not just reflect it and can’t wait to meet this year’s cohort.鈥�
Simon Squibb, investor and entrepreneur at The Purposeful Project, says:
“It’s amazing to see the different ideas that come through The Pitch every year. I’m looking to invest in founders that have a real passion about the impact their business can have – and are fun to work with!”
Supported by Founders
Successful founders will also join the competition鈥檚 judging panel to offer their expertise and advice, including Louise Hill, founder of聽GoHenry, and Romina Savova, founder of聽PensionBee.
Speaking about why she is supporting The Pitch, Louise Hill says:
鈥淚 decided to support The Pitch because helping other entrepreneurs succeed is something that matters to me, it鈥檚 very close to my heart. Schemes like this are really important, because the road to being a startup is quite a lonely one and people might not have access to business advice elsewhere.鈥�
As a seed investor in companies like聽Seen on Screen, Romina knows what she鈥檚 looking for in startup founders. She says:
鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly important for founders to feel that they have a sounding board in other entrepreneurs who have been through the same journey. I鈥檓 hoping I can provide some input and advice, and ultimately stay connected to early-stage businesses.鈥�
The Pitch, run by聽Inkwell Agency聽in Bristol, helped its 2021 finalists to raise more than 拢1.3m.
This success is supported by the competition鈥檚 partners, who offer ongoing business and investment advice to those who enter. This year聽Sage,聽Crowdcube,聽Fiverr,聽Agora Talent聽and聽Avamae聽have all supported The Pitch, helping to reach more than 7,000 entrepreneurs.
Darren Westlake, co-founder and CEO of Crowdcube will also be judging the competition. He says:“I鈥檓 really looking forward to hearing everyone鈥檚 pitches, and I鈥檓 particularly interested in founders who want to help their community and make a positive impact. At Crowdcube we help businesses raise money through their community and ours. We鈥檙e making investment something that everybody can access, democratising the process for both startups and retail investors.
