The Pitch is a free competition that gives startups the support to grow and the platform to raise investment.
Looking to perfect your pitch and raise seed investment? Join our community and be the first to hear about The Pitch 2023.
Win cash prizes
We offer startups who enter the opportunity to win cash prizes plus a money-can’t-buy package of mentoring support.
Pitch your startup to active investors
Want to raise seed investment? Make our top 10 and you’ll head to The Pitch Final, where you’ll pitch to a panel of leading investors. Investors that have backed The Pitch include:
The finalists from 2021 have already raised £1.3m+ through our connections.
Being part of The Pitch 2022 was a valuable experience for both the business and me, personally. Although we made the final, I actually froze in the semifinal and forgot everything. I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell you the name of my business! The Pitch team and judges were supportive and, luckily, they asked good questions so I could get my business across.
– Founder of Sukoon Care, Akhilesh Sivaraman
How The Pitch works
Step one: The application
Fill out your entry form. Most of the form is multiple choice and takes 10 minutes to complete. It asks you for details including:
- Which pitching competition you want to enter
- When your company launched
- How much revenue you have generated so far
- How much investment you want to raise
- Why you deserve to win The Pitch
If you have any questions or would like support with your application form try our FAQ or email Applications@ThePitch.uk to speak to one of our friendly team members.
Step two: The community
You’ll join our community where you’ll get access to exclusive content from our business coaches, mentors, investors, and partners. They will take you through a programme of activity including free articles, guides, videos, webinars, and events designed to get you investment ready.
Step three: The competition
Applicants from each city will be selected to give a 90-second pitch to investors and journalists at the live semi-finals. All finalists will be given the opportunity to work with a pitching coach to prepare.
The Pitch 2023’s regional semi-finals will be held in London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and Edinburgh! All semi-finalists will be given support with promotion and PR so you can shout about your journey with The Pitch, and why you deserve to win.
Our panel of judges will choose a winner. Plus there’s a People’s Choice vote so fans can get involved too!
Step four: The final
After each regional, we share the judges’ feedback with detailed scoring to help startups improve their pitch. Scores will be added to our leaderboard, which will be seen by thousands of people, including investors, journalists and potential customers.
The top 10 startups from the regional finals go on to compete in The Pitch Final.
I’d never stood up in front of that large of an audience. It was a big crowd at The Pitch Final. But it really felt like The Pitch team were there to support us – at other startup competitions, you just feel like you’re being analysed all the time. That was quite unique.
– The Moment Device founder Lucy Jung
Who is The Pitch for?
The Pitch is for founders, entrepreneurs and startups who’ve launched, proven their idea works and are seeking funding to take their business to the next stage.
This year we also have a competition for people who are looking to turn a side hustle into a full-time business. So even if you’re not sure if your business is ready yet, take 10 minutes to fill in the application and let us do the rest.
Not ready to apply?
Take two seconds to let us know who you are here and we’ll send you hints, tips and advice on developing your side hustle or startup.
We met some great people at The Pitch. One of the Final judges has made an investment in YesRef, which is an amazing story as a wildcard. We also got put in touch with Crowdcube and are about to go live with a raise.
– YesRef Founder & Chief Operating Officer Ben Williamson
Who’s taken part in The Pitch in the past?
The Pitch brings together startups with amazing ideas who go on to become industry leaders.
We’re incredibly proud of everything our past Pitchers achieve – here are just a handful of the brilliant businesses who have taken part in the last few years. You can see more on our Alumni page.
- 3D holographic business HYPERVSN has been backed by Mark Cuban and has over 100 employees
- Food delivery service EatFirst now delivers nationwide and has raised over £6m in funding
- Small Robot Company has raised £10m with The Pitch partner Crowdcube
Need help with your application?
Read our FAQ if you want help – we’ve tried to cover everything – or email Applications@ThePitch.uk.
Want to wax lyrical about your startup or send us a song recommendation? Try Chris@ThePitch.uk.
