That’s right, techSPARK’s Silicon Gorge competition is back and applications are open, giving the chance for lucky startups to pitch to a room of investors.
In case you’re not familiar, Silicon Gorge is a pitching competition that culminates in an Investor Showcase, this year taking place on 5 June 2025. It shines a light on the best early-stage startups in the region all looking for between £100k – £2m.
Alumni of Silicon Gorge include Immersive Labs and Martin Bysh from Huboo, plus many others who have raised millions since they pitched: Lettus Grow, KETS Quantum Security, Yellowdog, TravelLocal, Virti, Neighbourly to name just a few.
At each event we have a small panel to help bring out any extra details from the pitchers, and previous panellists include Jean de Fougerolles, Managing Partner at Ascension Ventures, Charles Grimsdale, Angel and Founder at Eden Ventures, Lisa Matthews, Portfolio Manager at Jenson Funding Partners, and Simon Murdoch, Managing Partner at Episode 1.
Applications for the 2025 edition are now open so get yours in before 11 April.
If you’re an investor, do sign up for our mailing list to receive an invite to the Investor Showcase, or contact charly@techspark.co for more details.
Silicon Gorge timeline
For now, there are some key dates to get in the diary:
As with all techSPARK activity, none of this would be possible without the continued support from our fantastic sponsors. This year supporting Silicon Gorge is:
TLT
TLT is a full-service commercial law firm built on ambition, innovation and dedication to its clients. The firm’s dynamic fast growth team, led out of its award-winning corporate practice, supports a variety of funders and investors, from business angels to institutional funds working on investments, and seed rounds through series A to Exit. The team is made up of leading advisers to businesses looking to “scale-up” and grow rapidly, acting as a sounding board for early-stage ideas and supporting as products and services develop. They fully protect your ideas, work with you to raise finance, execute key contracts and fulfil data and regulatory requirements.
British Business Bank
British Business Bank is the UK’s economic development bank. Their mission is to drive sustainable growth and prosperity across the UK and to enable the transition to a net-zero economy, by supporting access to finance for smaller businesses.
Bristol Innovations
Bristol Innovations is the University of Bristol’s catalyst for innovation, offering innovation-led businesses access to cutting-edge research, technology and talent.
Link Stone Advisory
Link Stone Advisory delivers integrated business advice and corporate finance. Their teams draw on professional expertise in finance, commercial law, HR and tax support integrated with management experience in profit growth and business transformation in digital, media and FMCG.
Walmer Group
Walmer Group is a one-stop hub for innovation and scale-up funding, with a particular focus on sustainable businesses in the UK. Bringing over 30 years worth of industry experience together, Walmer’s team specialise in Research & Development (R&D) Tax Loans, Investor Relations, Grants and R&D Tax.
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