We’re proud to announce that The Pitch 2022 Side Hustle winner is Kate from Rowdy Kind. Kate and co-founder Anne Marie are on a mission to “to make bath time sustainable” and they’ve already saved 30,000 plastic bottles from landfill.
Kate was shocked to hear the news.
“I’ve been so impressed with everyone else. I’ve been texting my co-founder saying ‘OMG they’re so good’. This is such illustrious company. I’m actually shaking!”
You can watch the event below and find out more about the judges and other finalists.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
The judges
The final was judged by three experienced founders and investors who are at the top of their game in their respective industries, offering our finalists advice and mentoring in taking the leap from side hustle to established business.
Let’s take a closer look.
The green grocer
John Stapleton – Founder, Mission Ventures
John has over 30 years’ experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, starting his career out by co-founding (and later selling) The New Covent Garden Soup and going on to set up Little Dish, which grew to £15 million annual revenue before being sold.
Now, John is investor director of Mission Ventures, which specialises in building challenger brands and investing in quality food and drink brands across Europe to support the growth of “planet-friendly ventures”.
The savings maker
Andreas Georgiou – VP Product Marketing, Sage
Andreas Georgiou is one of the brightest minds of the digital revolution and the tools entrepreneurs can use to create higher efficiency in their business.
He began his career in the UK Government’s Cabinet Office, where he advised the Minister on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the UK public sector through digital service transformation.
In his current role at Sage as Vice President of Product Marketing for Small Businesses, he’s responsible for growth strategy, new propositions and product go-to-market. Andreas is essential in helping small businesses access the right accounting and finance advice and support they need to digitalise their operations and achieve resilience.
The community builder
Simon Squibb – Founder, Purposeful Project
Simon Squibb might not say he’s an influencer – but with 450,000 TikTok followers, 16,000 Instagram followers and 18,000 on Linkedin – he’s definitely saying something right.
His mission has always been to solve unemployment and help 10,000,000 people start a business. He likes to do this job for free – helping entrepreneurs grow their business without feeling alone.
Following several multi-million exits and investments in over 60 companies, as well as founding Mettā and Nest VC, Simon also runs the Purposeful Project podcast. In his podcast you can hear him in conversation with successful entrepreneurs about how to start and scale a business.
The side hustle founders
And now for the main event. Here are the six founders who caught our eye this year and took part in The Pitch 2022 Side Hustle Final.
LumiTok
LumiTok is a fob watch designed specifically for night shifts, featuring an integrated LED torch. It’s the brainchild of NHS nurse Ciarán, who founded the company in 2021.
“The benefits [of LumiTok] for nurses are that they don’t have to use their phone torch, which is suboptimal for infection control, and they are able to check on patients and equipment without disturbing the whole ward. Community nurses can use it to locate key safes and safely orientate themselves inside patient homes.”
In less than 12 months, Ciarán has built an Instagram community of over 2000 healthcare professionals and LumiTok has filled a market gap for nurses, with over 700 units already sold.
www.lumitok.com
Instagram: @lumitoknursefob
Shelff
Shelff is a community-based, peer-to-peer rental platform for furniture and homeware, deemed “Airbnb for home objects.”
An eco-business at heart, Shelff launched in 2021 and was conceptualised to tackle the 22 million pieces of furniture and homeware that are sent to landfill every year.
The company has already been profiled by DELL Tech as part of their International Women’s Day campaign in 2022 and is one of three start-ups chosen by DLA Piper to work with on a bespoke accelerator.
Julia runs Shelff alongside her full-time job in tech.
www.shelff.co
Instagram/TikTok: @shelff.co
Rowdy Kind
“Our mission is to make bath time sustainable”, say Kate and Anne Marie – founders of Rowdy Kind.
The company produces the world’s first plastic-free body care, hair products and bath toys. A 100% female, industry-experienced team – they’re aiming to prevent the use of over 50k single-use plastic bathroom items that a child born today will use in their lifetime.
Since 2020, Rowdy Kind has appeared in the Evening Standard, Metro and Hello, has been listed in over 50 stores and saved 30,000 plastic bottles. It has already converted 3000 families to plastic-free bath time.
www.rowdykind.com
Instagram: @rowdykind
Wing
Wing, a digital alternative to the business card, “brings the connectivity and data-rich experience of online networking to in person”.
23 million paper business cards are thrown away daily; the equivalent of 1,000 trees being cut down a day. Wing can eradicate this easily. The contactless (NFC powered) networking technology is better for the planet and offers more effective networking, leaving a longer lasting first impression.
Wing is already used by 5000 globally, including users from Deloitte, Samsung and NatWest.
Founded by award-winning entrepreneur Sina in 2021 and with a team behind it that has over 25 years’ development experience, Wing is set to take flight.
www.wingcard.io
Instagram: @wingcard.io
HaBox
“With HaBox, we’re saving children’s teeth and parents’ sanity with dentistry & psychology.” says Katie, who founded the company in 2019. “Dental decay is the number one cause of childhood hospitalisation. As a team of dentists who’ve pulled way too many kids’ teeth out, we know this too well.”
That was the driving force behind the concept: the UK’s first dental subscription box for children, cultivating positive dental habits from birth and with a mission to change the statistics.
In the past three years, Habox has been posted out 6000 times to 1500 customers and the children’s dental market continues to present a huge untapped opportunity.
www.myhabox.co.uk
Instagram: @myhaboxuk
Impact Coffee
New kid on the block, Impact Coffee is the UK’s first nootropic cold-brew coffee that gives you the mind, body and energy to make more of an impact.
More than a year of research and development and 15 nootropics, 4 coffee blends and 31 recipes later – Impact Coffee is getting rave reviews from early adopters.
Founded by Yusuf in 2020, Impact Coffee has gone on to be one of five winners of LSE Generate’s Pitch Funding Competition and as well as a finalist for TikTok’s first business funding competition.
www.impact-coffee.com
Instagram: @impactcoffeedrink
