Investment Competition Launched for UK Startups

Startups across the UK are being invited to enter a competition to practice their pitching skills, get connected with investors, and win prizes worth more than £10k plus a money-can’t-buy mentoring package.

The Pitch is the biggest annual competition for startups in the UK, with regional finals in Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, and London.

Businesses that enter get access to exclusive advice and support from The Pitch partners including headline partner Sage, crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, Fiverr, Haines Watts, Agora Talent, and AVAMAE.

All About The Cooks, YesRef, Chu-Lo Drinks, Goodloans and Financielle have all been finalists in the competition.

Between them, the 2021 finalists have gone on to raise more than £1.3m through connections they made at The Pitch.

The founder of Chu-Lo Drinks, Steph Buttery, was shortlisted by the Great British Entrepreneur awards as Food and Drink Entrepreneur of the year for the North West. Steph recently made it to the final of Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars on BBC One. 

Steph Buttery, Founder of Chu-Lo Drinks says:

“The best way to get good at pitching is by pitching - all the time, every opportunity. The Pitch is a great place to start. They offer a really good structure including story, team, level of investment you need, what you’re going to spend it on - which is key for investors.

“My first pitch was so bad, but I kept practising. There was a week where I did four pitches in one day. The final one was at the International Drinks Expo. I won it because each time I just got better and better. The better you pitch, the more successful your business will be.”

Winner of The Pitch 2021 Zak Nason-Giwa, co-founder and CEO of Goodloans, says:

"We've made quite a bit of progress since The Pitch. First, we closed a £900k pre-seed round. Second, we just closed a six figure multi-year SaaS deal with a major corporation."

Chris Goodfellow, Founder and CEO of Inkwell Agency, who deliver The Pitch says:

“The Pitch is the perfect platform for early-stage startups to tell their story and connect to the support they need to make their business a success. As well as the competition, our team works hard behind-the-scenes to make one-to-one introductions to investors.”

Regional finalists get to work with a pitching coach before they take to the stage in their closest city in September. The winners go on to pitch in the overall final in London in October 2022.

This year there is a second competition specifically for people running side hustles, and both competitions offer monetary prizes worth £5k, plus a money-can’t-buy mentoring package.

Applications take 10 minutes to complete and close on 31 July 2022. If you apply before this Friday 3 June 2022 you’ll also get the chance to win a one-to-one session with angel investor Simon Squibb.

Broken down into four levels, this year’s programme includes online educational content, coaching and mentoring from leading entrepreneurs, live in-person pitching events, as well as the chance to meet and support other founders.

Sage are powering entrepreneurs to reach their financial ambitions by providing the tools they need to make accounting simple. Their team will offer The Pitch contestants finance advice to get their businesses bossing it in 2022. This year the team is also introducing a brand new prize for the best side hustle business worth more than £5k.

Crowdcube has helped 1000+ businesses raise over £1bn investment through their crowdfunding platform. Wondering how to crowdfund? If you enter The Pitch you will get access to exclusive advice and support from the team. Previous finalists who have crowdfunded on their platform include Yuup, Rockit, and All About The Cooks.

Fiverr are experts in connecting businesses with the perfect people, skills, and knowledge they need – in a trusted environment without any fuss. Their platform gives businesses access to high-quality services – including graphic design, digital marketing, and tech – with protected payments and 24/7 support.

AVAMAE is a team of app and software experts who create simple solutions that help to solve the most complex challenges. They have a passion for helping ambitious startups develop their products. They will be offering The Pitch contestants exclusive advice on how to scale their business and grow.

Haines Watts is dedicated to helping businesses overcome their challenges, realise their ambitions and create an impact. Through The Pitch UK they help get founders ready for investment. Investment is about more than money, and Haines Watts offer their community exclusive access to accountancy advice that looks beyond the numbers.

Agora provides market-leading talent to startups. Recruitment is one of the most important processes a business can go through. Agora makes sure you get it right by combining unique market insight and complete transparency with fast-paced delivery.