Whether it’s selling a new idea or seeking investment from an angel investor, having a great business pitch is vital for startup success.
It can be hard for startup founders to hit all the right notes when delivering a pitch, which is why it’s really important to keep practising. Entering local startup competitions is the perfect way to do that.
It’s also useful to watch other startup pitches to get inspiration, so you can compile ideas that you like or don’t like and adjust your pitch accordingly.
At The Pitch, we’re lucky enough to watch nearly 100 exciting startup pitches each year. We thought we would share some of our favourite pitches from over the years, all of which scored highly with our panels of judges.
Starting your business pitch from scratch? Read our article on writing an effective elevator pitch to understand the seven key components you need to include.
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How do we judge the pitch?
Firstly, it’s important to understand our judging process. Each year, our panel of judges rate our startup pitchers on the following criteria:
- Idea
- Proof of traction
- Team
- The pitch itself
This criteria was established based on several conversations with investors about what they look for in a pitch. It’s also the amount of information you can reasonably expect to cover in a 90-second pitch.
Take a note of the above categories, as we will be referring to them throughout the article to explain why the pitches were so effective.
Rowdy Kind
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Rowdy Kind was the winner of both The Pitch Final and Side Hustle Final of 2022. Creating plastic-free children’s body care, founder Kate Tilbury proved to be a force to be reckoned with.
With a well-rounded pitch that remained engaging throughout, Rowdy Kind surpassed the other finalists to receive a score of 84/100. Kate scored particularly well in the pitch and team categories.
We particularly loved Kate’s pitch as it was incredibly clear and concise – it perfectly summarised the problem she was trying to solve, how she will do it, and what exactly she needs help from investors with.
Lilk
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Lilk was a crowd favourite in our pitch competitions and their plant-based milk was a massive hit among audiences. Demonstrating great traction and showcasing their strong team, Lilk secured the second-place spot at The Pitch 2022 Final with a score of 78/100.
By handing out cartons of Lilk to the judges, the team could effectively show the quality of their product. We also think they did an excellent job in explaining why their product fits well into the current plant-milk market – an area with intense competition.
Talk Twenties
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Talk Twenties wowed the crowd at The Pitch 2022 Final, achieving an impressive score for their pitch and traction so far.
Talk Twenties is an online platform and podcast that helps people in their twenties navigate adult life. They won the People’s Choice Award and secured a judges’ score of 73/100, after founder Gaby Mendes’ well-structured pitch specifically targeted each area of the judges’ criteria.
Wing
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Just one point behind Rowdy Kind (47/60) in the Side Hustle Final, Wing was a close contender for getting through to The Pitch 2022 Final.
Founder Sina Sadrzadeh scored the highest amongst the side hustle finalists for his idea, and also got an impressive result in the team category.
We loved the way he demonstrated how his product worked by using animation, which went down very well with the judges.
Goodloans
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Goodloans was the winner of The Pitch 2021, receiving a final total of 82/100. On a mission to improve financial inclusion amongst Ghanaian business owners, founder Zak Nason-Giwa achieved an almost-perfect score for his pitch, and also got a strong result in the idea criteria.
We were a fan of the personable way Zak covered the problem he was addressing at the beginning of his pitch – really hitting home why there was a need for his product.
Financielle
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Financielle is a finance app that helps women to be more “financially well” and take back control of their money.
Taking part in The Pitch 2021, Financielle secured second place in the final. They received top scores for their unique idea, and also scored very highly for their great pitch – overall achieving a score of 75/100.
We also liked the way Laura used humour at the beginning of her pitch to address the problem, proving that pitches don’t always need to be overly serious to be effective.
Chu Lo Drinks
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Also from The Pitch 2021 is Chu Lo Drinks, who are the creators of the UK’s first sour fizz soft drinks.
Despite some nerves and a few pauses, founder Steph Buttery delivered a great pitch. We personally love how she covered the brand’s success so far and the concise delivery of her answers to the judges questions.
Snapping at the heels of Financielle with their score of 73/100, Chu Lo received the highest marks for traction out of all the 2021 finalists. Steph also received top marks for her pitch.
Punk Money
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Due to the pandemic, The Pitch Final 2020 was an exclusively online event. This meant that the finalists could get creative – and we loved how Punk Money took advantage of that with their unconventional pitch video.
A fintech startup that is helping to revolutionise the finance industry with fairer loans, Punk Money were the People’s Choice winners of the year. An almost-perfect score for their compelling pitch, alongside top marks for their idea, resulted in them receiving a final mark of 81/100.
Ready to perfect your startup pitch?
Want to perfect your pitch for investors? At The Pitch, we’ve helped hundreds of startups to build their confidence, hone their pitch and get investment ready.
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