We’re really excited to announce that Yiuwin and I have taken on The Pitch through a management buyout and we’re launching applications today.
We helped run the event for the last few years as employees of Sift. Working with the amazing entrepreneurs that take part was the best part of our job. It was truly inspiring. So we decided to stop endlessly debating startup ideas and registering domain names and take the plunge.
Here’s a quick round-up of what we’ve been working on behind the scenes since late last year. And, here’s a not so subtle call to action to enter in case you’re already excited enough to get started.
1. Awesome judges that will mentor the winner
We’re assembling an amazing panel of judges that can share different aspects of entrepreneurial excellence. They will question startups at the final and offer money-can’t-buy mentoring to the winner.
Trunki founder Rob Law, Creative England CFO Mehjabeen Patrick and Propel by Deloitte technology and advisory lead Gemma Taylor are joining this year’s judging panel. We’ll announce more judges over the next few months.
2. Expert partners that embolden our mission
Every year, we get to work with some of the most progressive and exciting brands to help us in our mission to educate, empower and enable small businesses. Organisations that believe in supporting small businesses and putting education first.
Propel by Deloitte are returning as headline sponsors this year, providing advice on the technology small businesses can use to help them grow.
“Our purpose at Propel is to provide a market-leading service to support exciting and ambitious small businesses to start, run and grow. The Pitch is a perfect fit for us to continue our exciting journey in helping these businesses flourish,” says Pete Harris, operations lead at Propel by Deloitte and one of last year’s judges.
3. This is going to be a lot of fun
We pride ourselves on having a great time running The Pitch. Our team, the entrepreneurs, judges and our partners all help build a fantastic sense of comradery.
Starting a business is tough and spending time talking to people going through the same experience can be invaluable. Our free, educational boot camps help startups network and get validation from their peers. This isn’t about giving more kudos to companies with huge investment or fanfare. We welcome new businesses and celebrate what makes you great.
Finally, we would like to say a huge thank you to the team at Sift for working on the MBO and helping us during the transition process. A huge number of people from the community have stepped forward in the few months that we’ve been operating and offered to help too. We couldn’t have done this without you.
