The second ‘Pitch 10’ start-up pitching event was held at 10 Downing Street last week, where representatives from new digital businesses from all over the UK pitched their ideas to policymakers and investors, hoping for financial backing and advice.
Organised by TechCityUK, the annual event aims to cement links between start-ups and prospective partners and are being hailed as a spotlight on the breadth of innovation and digital talent that abounds in the UK.
The 12 start-ups chosen to be at this year’s event included a big data company from Scotland, an app developed in Wales to help schools keep in contact with parents and public bodies, and a Northern Irish luggage shipping service.
These new businesses were chosen from thousands of applicants by a panel of independent advisors and industry experts, including Martha Lane-Fox, House of Lords and UK Digital Champion, as well as representatives from investment firms and venture capital leaders.
A spokesman for TechCityUK said that the Pitch 10 competition provides further proof that digital businesses with diverse specialisms are thriving across the UK, adding that showcasing the breadth of talent from across the UK’s clusters will be a factor in raising awareness and driving investment.
In conjunction with the pitch event, Tech Nation, one of TechCityUK’s technical partners, published a report on the state of the digital economy in the UK. Their research found that there are 1.46 million digital jobs across the country and that 74 per cent of digital businesses operate outside of London, demonstrating that the UK’s digital business revolution is a nationwide growth story. The research also found that, while 50 per cent of digital companies in the UK have been founded since 2008, 90 per cent of these now expect their revenue to rise in 2015.
You must be to post a comment
