March 9, 2017, by The Ingenuity Lab
Pitch@Palace 7.0: Hear from the Alumni
”Don’t think about it, just do it as it’s the best business experience ever.” – Wes Sugden-Brook, CEO of Drenched UK Ltd
In less than three years, Pitch@Palace has helped over 247 businesses grow, with some now enjoying huge global success. This week, we are delighted to invite three Pitch@Palace alumni to share with us their experience during last year’s competition and the impact this event has had on their businesses. All of them will be in attendance on 15 March at EMCC.
Read on to find out the suggestions they have for budding entrepreneurs…
Wes Sugden-Brook
Wes Sugden-Brook – CEO of Drenched Ltd
Company
Role
CEO of Drenched Ltd
What is your educational background?
I studied at Rastrick High school in Calderdale, West Yorkshire and went on to study at Huddersfield Technical college and then at Leeds Met where I received a BEng (Hons) in Manufacturing Systems Engineering.
How did entering Pitch@Palace help you develop your business?
It made uss challenge the real business and what our USP’s were. When you have 3-minute pitch and a static slide it really does make you distil everything you know about your business, market and product; which in turn makes you re-assess every angle. This process allowed me to find gems I would have never found if I hadn’t done it.
What is the biggest change Pitch@Palace brought to you and your company?
It has raised our profile to a totally new level that we just never could have done in such a short timescale. Also the amount of influential and experienced global contacts we have now made and are making every week. The biggest change for me personally is I don’t get nervous presenting to anyone any more, I was lucky enough to pitch in-front of HRH Queen Elizabeth and after that everything changed.
What is your business currently focusing on?
We are currently focussing on a few things, first; working through all the contacts we have made to understand the viability; secondly; securing key distributors globally and lastly creating new cool products.
What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs interested in taking part in the competition?
Don’t think about it, just do it as it’s the best business experience ever. If you are lucky enough to get through to the pitches, network, network, network. There are lots of likeminded people just like you there that will hold the key to unlock the next level for you, don’t miss such a great opportunity.
Abdul Alim
Abdul Alim, Co-founder of OfferMoments
Company
Role
Co-founder of OfferMoments
What is your educational background?
My interest was solely in computers and unfortunately ended up failing my GCSE’s so decided to call the local council for 3 months until they gave me work experience.
How did entering Pitch@Palace help you develop your business?
Entering pitch@palace gave us the exposure we needed to get our investors on board.
What is the biggest change Pitch@Palace brought to you and your company?
Pitch@Palace helped us attract the investment we needed to continue the business; it saved us from closing down. The competition also helped us build an executive dream-team and therefore skyrocket our business.
We’re now focusing on bringing a commercial version of our product to the market.
What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs interested in taking part in the competition?
Whatever stage of your idea or business you are at, Pitch@Palace will help you get it to the next stage faster than you have ever dreamed.
Tim Guilliams
Tim Guilliams, CEO of Healx
Company
What is your educational background?
Scientist by background. PhD in Biophysics from Cambridge University and MEng in Bio-Engineering from University of Brussels.
How did entering Pitch@Palace help you develop your business?
It helped us articulate our value proposition,extended our network and raised our profile at both National and International level. Entering Pitch@Palace also helped us find new investors and customers for the business!
What is the biggest change Pitch@Palace brought to you and your company?
Pitch@Palace helped us develop a completely new network of support, investors and potential customers. Healx has reached out effectively beyond our home town. This event has brought incredible motivation to the team!
What is your business currently focusing on?
Healx is a Cambridge-based Tech Startup focused on drug matching for rare and genetic diseases. Its technology platform combines machine learning and genomics to identify new potential treatments for those diseases. The team developed a unique patient-centric model allowing to integrate essential patient insights at the early stages of the drug discovery process.
What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs interested in taking part in the competition?
Get involved! It makes absolutely no difference whether you win or not. The type of support and value added to your business will be absolutely incredible and can be found nowhere else…
We’re really excited to meet all these amazing entrepreneurs next Wednesday!
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