Photo: Vevolution/Facebook
Vegan pitch competition Pitch + Plant is offering plant-based entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their startups to a panel of judges for a chance to receive an investment of up to £100K.
Pitch + Plant was inspired by the hit Canadian show, Dragon’s Den, which allows entrepreneurs across Canada to pitch their ideas to investors. According to Forbes, Pitch + Plant piloted last year at Vevolution (a London-based startup featuring events, branded as the “Plant-Based Business Bootcamp”) in a partnership with BRAN Investments.
However, the competition differs from Dragon’s Den in a sense that their investments will come completely from BRAN, as opposed to receiving offers from entrepreneurs, a.k.a. “Dragons.”
Last year, Pitch + Plan was able to offer a £1,500 investment to the winner, a beauty brand called Optiat, who then completed the full £217K in funding on Crowdcube, an equity crowdfunding platform. This year, BRAN Investments has decided to bump up the investment to £100K, thanks to the “strong investor demand for plant-based businesses.”
All applicants must be UK-based startups within their first two years since their official launch, and can apply from now until June 25. Finalists will be chosen on July 2 and will have to pitch their businesses in person in front of an audience on July 14 in the UK’s capital, London.
Applicants must also be considering completing a round of fundraising involving at least £150K within the next six months alone. Pitch + Plant also cannot guarantee the full £100K to anyone; the money may be given to one startup, or split amongst many. The rest of the fundraising will take place on Crowdcube.
Among the judges are BRAN’s director Ashish Goyal, Vevolution founders Judy Nadel and Damien Clarkson, as well as others.
“We’re looking for two things,” says Goyal. “Firstly, entrepreneurs with energy, passion and a drive to succeed. As entrepreneurs ourselves, we appreciate the difficulties of setting up a business and the sacrifices that come with it, so we need to see people with passion and that are willing to go that extra mile when times get tough. Secondly, we’d like to see businesses that have proven their model through revenue generation as well as loyal customer base which wants the business to succeed.”
Entrepreneurs interested in participating can apply here, and more information on the pitching event on July 14 can be found here. The live pitches are part of Vevolution’s Plant-Based Business Bootcamp program, “designed by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.”
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