The Silicon Gorge Investment Pitching competition will allow 12 of the most exciting early-stage tech and creative startups in the South West and South Wales the opportunity to pitch to a room of investors from across the region and beyond at an Investor Showcase on 10th November 2021.
Applications to take part are open from Monday 16th August until Monday 20th September, and companies pitching at the Showcase will be selected via a 2 stage process including a Pitching Competition in the week commencing 18th October.
The competition is open to Tech & Creative companies based in the South West and South Wales who are looking for up to £3 million in equity investment, and the final showcase will be in front of angel investors, early stage VCs and also enablers and advisors of investment, so an ideal networking opportunity for those looking to raise. Furthermore, there is additional marketing and PR support available to those who make it to the competition stage. As well as a Pitching Workshop for the final 12 to hone their skills.
Any investors interested in attending the final event on 10th November should contact abby@techspark.co to join the invite list.
Timelines
Here’s what you need to know and when it’s going to happen:
- 16th August – 20th September – Applications are open
- 30th September – Applicants will be notified if they have made it into the competition stages
- 19th & 20th October – A choice of 2 dates for Pitching competitions
- 10th November – Silicon Gorge Investor Showcase 2021: Autumn Edition
How to prepare for Silicon Gorge Investment Pitching competition
What do you need to get ready to submit your application to Silicon Gorge 2021? It’s not charts and pitch decks, we just want you to tell us about yourselves. We’ll just need :-
- Your name, company and email – we’ll assume you already have these!
- A summary of what your company/product does – Maximum 200 words
- What problem you are solving – Maximum 100 words
- Why you/your product are unique – Maximum 100 words
- What stage you are at?
- How big’s the market?
- Who are you selling to?
- How much you’re looking to raise?
- Are you ab incubator or accelerator member– and which one?
- If you’re already generating revenue (congratulations!), the rough bracket you’re in
- Lastly, of course, what are you going to use investment for?
Investment Activator Programme
Silicon Gorge is one of the principal activities of the Investment Activator Programme, a 2 year pilot programme designed to stimulate investment within the South West UK.
Investment Activator Abby Frear says “The IAP has provided the SW ecosystem with an ongoing source of independent and impartial advice for many brilliant Tech & Creative companies looking for early stage equity investment in the region. It’s proved invaluable, especially for those not yet associated with an incubator or accelerator, who need to get investment ready or who want the opportunity to be put in front of investors.
Furthermore it’s enabled us to really highlight the investment successes coming from the region, showcasing the fantastic tech that exists here and encouraging more & more investors to look to the region as a credible source of exciting investment opportunities.”
The original pilot has been a UK first and has only been possible thanks to the support of our partners Delaware, Engine Shed, Rocketmakers, Sanderson, TLT, University of the West of England, West of England Combined Authority.
Want support from the Investment Activator Programme – contact IAP@techspark.co.
To keep up with the latest news and to follow the successful startups, give @SiliconGorge & @TechSPARKuk a follow on Twitter.
