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EEN’s flagship pitch training and showcase programme in the East of England, which has contributed to several major success stories and created a buzz in the local angel investor ecosystem, is now being rolled out in a national pilot scheme.
Regional Pitchfest Champions have been appointed to bring this unique, highly-focused pitch training and showcase programme to London (led by Newable), South West (led by Business West), South East (led by Oxford Innovation Services and University of Greenwich), Midlands (led by Coventry University Enterprises and Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce) and the North of England (led by RTC North). The roll-out builds on the expertise of the EEN partners and the spirit of collaboration across the network.
The Pitchfest Champions are being supported by the EEN East of England team based at St John’s Innovation Centre and the Knowledge Transfer Network trainers; they are gearing up for their seventh Pitchfest in Cambridge in the autumn.
“I was incredibly impressed by both the organisation and scale of the event, especially in comparison to other similar pitching events I’ve attended,” said Nia Dokova, Director of Sutrue, a medtech start-up developing the world’s first automated medical stitching (suturing) devices that use industry-standard needles, and a Pitchfest finalist who attended the East of England edition.
“The quality of all of the start-ups who made round two was impressive both in terms of value proposition and pitching skills - presenters had clearly been trained well! Even more importantly from our point of view, the showcase was very well attended by quality investors who proactively engaged with us.”
Pitch training: telling your story
The Pitchfest programme helps business founders to develop the necessary skills to become pitch ready and create clear, powerful and compelling presentations. It is open to innovative businesses with the potential to scale or who are already scaling and are looking to raise between £250k – £2m.
The pitch training programme spans two training days, a selection stage and a Showcase Day where 15 shortlisted finalists will pitch their business ideas to investors.
There are many benefits from participating at Pitchfest. Founders get advice and insights on:
- Developing a killer elevator pitch and a compelling pitch deck
- Receiving expert feedback and access to outside thinking from mentors
- Building partnerships and interacting with peers who are facing similar challenges
- Showcasing business ideas to multiple investors
National reach
The London edition of the Pitchfest pilot, which started in May and has its showcase day on 27 June, saw a record number of applications from over 100 companies representing a wide variety of tech sectors.
Dates for the South West edition have been confirmed:
2 September 2019 – Training Day 1: Plymouth
3 September 2019 – Training Day 1: Bristol
9 September 2019 - Training Day 2: Plymouth
10 September 2019 – Training Day 2: Bristol
18 September 2019 – Selection Day: Bristol
16 October 2019 – Showcase Day: Bristol
To apply, please contact Zoe Bartlett
East of England (Cambridge)
9 October 2019 – Training Day 1
17 October 2019 – Training Day 2
30 October 2019 – Selection Day
13 November 2019 – Showcase Day
To apply, please contact Anna Nadolna
South East
10 October – Training Day 1
22 October – Training Day 2
7 November - Selection Day
19 November – Showcase Day
To apply, please contact Jakub Rakoczy
Midlands
12/13 Feb 2020 – Training Day 1
19/20 Feb 2020 – Training Day 2
5 March 2020 Selection Day
19 March 2020 – Showcase Day
To apply, please contact Alan Malin
The dates for the North of England Pitchfest, which will also run in 2020, will be confirmed in the near future.
I was incredibly impressed by both the organisation and scale of the event, especially in comparison to other similar pitching events I’ve attended
Nia Dokova, Director, Sutrue
