Allia, an independent not-for-profit with a social mission, dedicated to helping impact organisations and initiatives grow, will not only be providing this prize, but Director of Enterprise Support, Paul Hughes, will also be joining the panel of industry experts and investors for the finals of the free-to-enter competition, which will return to Deloitte’s London Headquarters on 23rd October 2017.
Innovative start-ups and early stage ventures will present to industry leaders including BT, Deloitte UK, Arm Ltd, Google, Wayra UK, Cambridge Angels and UK Business Angels Association. Ten shortlisted finalists will get the opportunity to pitch to this elite panel of judges and receive their immediate feedback and three overall winners will be announced.
‘We’re delighted to have been invited to support the Discovering Start-ups competition this year, and can’t wait to see the pitches.” said Allia’s Paul Hughes. “The competition is a fantastic opportunity for growing technology ventures and we hope our offer of incubator space will help the winners grow and create even greater impact.” he continued.
“The Discovering Start-Ups Competition is a firm favourite in the CW calendar of events, not just for the start-up community but for our established members too” said Bob Driver, CEO at CW. “It provides an invaluable opportunity for finalists to shine in front of 22 potential investors and decision makers. The track record of this competition is an impressive one with the quality of start-ups presenting always high, and the contacts made enduring ones”.
The Discovering Start-Ups competition serves as a unique platform for start-ups and scale-ups to showcase their innovative technologies, network and help them gain exposure and traction.
Ramsey Faragher, CEO and Founder of Focal Point Positioning, winner of the 2016 competition said: “The competition was a fantastic opportunity to meet other start-ups, investors and veteran entrepreneurs. The pitching training provided to all of the finalists by CW was incredibly useful, the networking on the day has opened new doors to us, and of course coming away with a trophy and the accompanying prizes was a great bonus!”
In addition to the prestigious trophies, the three winners will each receive a one-year CW Founder membership, one delegate pass for the 2018 CW International Conference, access to mentors at Accelerated Digital Ventures and incubator space at one of Allia’s four Future Business Centres in Cambridge, Peterborough and East London. Two winners will be guaranteed a place in the semi-finals of the £70k Wayra Acceleration Programme with one fast-tracked to the finals.
Previous winners include Allia Future Business Centre tenants 8Power and GeneAdviser.
Supporters of the competition include St Johns Innovation Centre, IdeaSpace, Barclays Eaglelabs, Allia and Wayra UK.
The 8th Discovering Start-Ups Competition is now open for UK and European entries. The deadline for applications is 22nd September 2017. To enter, visit, http://www.cambridgewireless.co.uk/dsu/