The Pitch 2012 has revealed its list of Britain's best
small businesses.
After receiving hundreds of entries, BusinessZone.co.uk, in
association with digital service provider Yell, has selected 80 of
the UK's most original small businesses to compete for business
support worth £50,000.
All winners will now pitch their businesses to judges and a live
audience at The Pitch Live, a two-day event in Liverpool on 18 and
19 October. Tickets to the event are £10 and proceeds from the
ticket sales will go towards a cash prize for one winner selected
by the audience.
Five businesses will also be chosen to compete for the £50,000
prize at The Pitch 2012 Grand Final at London's Ministry of Sound
nightclub in November. Four regional winners will be selected to
pitch for the grand prize. The fifth business will be chosen from a
pool of 16 additional regional winners awarded wildcard status that
will compete for the most public votes.
"The judging process was a fantastic opportunity to learn more
about how small businesses are positioning themselves in a diverse
and competitive marketplace," says Louise Morgan, head of
intelligence and strategic insight at Yell Group, who judged the
Welsh entries. "It was inspiring to see the great variety of
entries that demonstrated innovation and the need for their product
or service."
A record number of entrepreneurs from a range of sectors entered
this year. From the hundreds of businesses taking part, 78% are
based in England, 11% in Scotland, 6% in Northern Ireland and 5% in
Wales.
Among the finalists from Northern Ireland is Adam Murphy,
founder of Shnuggle, a business with a modern take on the Moses
basket for babies. Alexander Epstein, a former contestant on BBC
TV's The Apprentice, is a finalist from England who runs
Concoction, a start-up which allows customers to create their own
blended shampoo. Pitching for Wales will be Alba McDonnell founder
of Rio: A Taste of Brazil cooking sauces and Scotland will be
represented by Donnie Maclean founder of Eat Balanced, which
provides nutritionally balanced pizzas.
For a full list of Pitch 80 winners and for more information,
click here.