Innovation Pitches

Schedule

11:00 – Welcome and short introduction by each judge
11:15 – Student pitches
12:15 – Pizza and Beer, Networking
13:00 – Winners and runners up to be announced and awarded a certificate
13:30 – End

FAQs

Who are the judges this year?

• To Be Confirmed

• In 2024 we had Rob Garratt (IBM), Kate Goodhart (JLR), Andy Pardoe (Deep Tech Innovation Centre)

Who is invited to pitch?

• Most entrants will be presenting their third year dissertation project or fourth year group project.

  However, the event is open to all entrepreneurial undergraduate and taught-postgraduate students.

How long should the pitch be?

• The pitch should be 3 minutes long. Please keep it short and sweet.

Will there be questions?

• Probably not. Depending on the number of pitches, there may be a little bit of time for the judges to ask a question - if so please keep your answers short.

How will it be judged?

• The judges will be choosing the most impressive business/social enterprise idea – there is no "mark scheme".

What format to use?

• Please send either a PowerPoint (preferred) or PDF of your slides the day before the event (more info to follow).

Do all of the group need to attend and present (group projects only)?

• You don't all need to come to the event, but prizes can only be awarded to those attending.

• You don’t all need to speak. It would probably be a bit chaotic if you did! Having one speaker is fine.

Can I have some help with my pitch?

• You are strongly encouraged to attend the workshop event where you can get hands on support from industry experts and develop your pitching skills.

What makes a good pitch?

Here are some things you may want to consider (by no means exhaustive nor prescriptive):

• Engagement. Get our attention, engage and entertain the audience.
• Motivation. Why? Perhaps tell a ‘personal story’. Make us care. We want to feel invested in the outcome.
• Audience. Speak to us. Minimise text. Don’t read slides. Use body language and perhaps even involve the audience.
• Originality. Impress the judges with your innovative idea. Show us why it is unique.
• Positivity. Be enthusiastic. Convince us of the opportunity.
• Credibility. Be honest; don’t try to over-sell it: credible entrepreneurs balance opportunities with risks.
• Viability. No need to get too technical but maybe share some results from your project that will help to convince us.
• Accessibility. Speak to a general audience. No need for excessive detail, get straight to the point.