Competition
The Pitch
The Pitch is a national business growth programme for startup success. We give purpose-led founders the tools they need to make an impact.
About the Pitch
This community is for startups to grow and get investment
We launched The Pitch in Bristol in 2008 as a traditional pitching competition. Since then, the competition has evolved far beyond its roots, building founders’ confidence, helping to develop their pitch and creating the connections they need to excel.
Our friendly, accessible environment provides access to bespoke mentoring, advice, guidance, grants, investor introductions and networking opportunities. It’s a space where founders are free to explore possibilities, make connections and get out of their comfort zone.
We also have a collection of resources where participants can hear from our alumni, receive exclusive offers from our partners and make the most of our handy guides and blogs designed to make running their business a little smoother.
We enjoy combining our expertise with the experience of purpose-driven partners who help us nurture the UK’s most exciting startups. The Pitch is currently talking to partners about next year’s programme – if you want to back the next generation of startup founders, please contact Chris at chris@thepitch.uk.
What you get from competing…
Regional finals
Watch our events
Investors per year
Average investor meetings per founder
Gallery
What is a pitching competition?
A pitching competition gives businesses the chance to take centre stage and share their story, idea and mission in front of a panel of industry experts.
Our competition breaks through the parameters of a traditional pitching environment, where founders have access to a range of resources, advice and support before they pitch – enabling them to make the most out of feedback, connections and networking opportunities on the big day.
How does the competition work?
Launching in spring each year, The Pitch is open to any startup as long as they’re based in the UK and have been trading for less than three years.
Our judges choose the top 50 applications to progress to our five regional finals, which are held in Glasgow, Manchester, Brighton, Bristol and London.
Before each event, startup founders can attend an online pitching workshop with one of our pitching coaches. They will then compete in the live event, giving a 90-second pitch to investors and industry experts.
Our panel of judges will rate pitchers on the following criteria:
- Idea
- Proof of traction
- Team
- The pitch itself
Videos of the pitches and the scores are added to our leaderboard, which will be seen by thousands of people.
The top startup from each regional event will head to The Pitch Final in London, where they will pitch to industry-leading investors and entrepreneurs. This is followed by drinks and networking with investors, journalists and other business owners.
Testimonials
What our community members think...
Get investment for your startup
Applying to The Pitch is free – simply fill out your details below and we’ll contact you on the next steps. By signing up to The Pitch, you’ll get a range of free advice and support, from mentoring opportunities to guidance on finding investors.
The Pitch 2024 application process opens in June. Our community members will be the first to be notified and given the opportunity to apply.
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