- Applications are now open for entrepreneurs, founders, and adventurers.
- Investors are specifically looking for female and under-represented founders.
- ‘Pioneering Adventurers’ and ‘Impact Projects’ added as categories alongside ‘Businesses For Good’.
Entrepreneurs, founders and adventurers are being given the chance to live pitch for investment and sponsorship available at the Blue Earth Summit in Bristol in October.
From hundreds of applications, 10 semi finalists will pitch online to become one of 4 finalists to pitch live to more than 20 of the world’s best impact investment firms and hundreds of Angel and Retail investors attending the Summit. All the investors have a passion for businesses, adventures and projects that can be a force for good in protecting our planet and its people.
Guy Hayler is co-founder of the Blue Earth Summit and managing partner of Wavelength Ventures who are running The Pitch Tent and says “It’s a big deal, the front three rows of The Pitch Tent are packed with people ready to invest and they want to see genuinely new ideas that make the world a better place. This year we have the ambition to facilitate £10 million worth of investment at the Summit”.
The Pitch Tent sits at the heart of the Blue Earth Summit, a three day breakthrough business Summit redefining our approach to life and work. The organisers say that The Pitch Tent is where deals get done and the impact of the Summit becomes measurable.
Two new categories have been added to The Pitch Tent this year. Alongside the category ‘Businesses For Good’, there is also a call to fund and support ‘Pioneering Adventurers’ and ‘Impact Projects’.
Hayler has been raising funds for impact businesses for the last 10 years and recognises the lack of funding and sponsorship that currently goes to female and under-represented founders. Hayler says: “Our process has been designed to break down traditional barriers to entry. We’re inviting adventurers and explorers, founders and entrepreneurs, from amateurs to professionals, from any background. Everyone is welcome.”
Investor Pippa Dunn was a panellist last year and says “It’s so hard and time consuming for new businesses to get in front of lots of different investors. The Pitch Tent is a great way to just get everyone in the room together. The pitches presented by the finalists last year were amazing and show quite how many investable and sustainable initiatives there are out there”.
The idea of The Pitch Tent was launched at the inaugural Summit in 2021 where there were 55 business applications and four finalists.
The 2021 finalists were:
- Nuud – plastic free chewing gum
- CanCan – a circular reusable coffee cup solution
- Pixii – 100% electric and zero emission boats
- Vivo life – vegan food supplements
Keir Carnie, founder of Nuud Plastic Free Gum was one of the successful finalists last year and says “Last year we pitched Nuud plastic free gum at the Blue Earth Summit and we made some game changing connections that continue to support our growth. It was a great experience and I’d recommend it to any business looking for funding and advice. It’s excellent, whether you’re pitching or simply attending to mix with angels and investors. The UK has been crying out for an event like this!”.
Guy Hayler says “We want the Summit to be a space where the ideas and investment we help put together make a real difference in the world. We want to make a seismic difference to businesses and projects that put the wellbeing of people and planet first.”
Over the last two years Wavelength Ventures – the organisation running The Pitch Tent at Blue Earth Summit – has raised over £75 million for more than 20 businesses, including most recently supporting outdoor brand Finisterre to raise £4.5 million.
Hayler continues “We bring in investors and sponsors who understand the urgent need to use business as a force for good and enable people and projects to do things differently for the planet and communities. It is where action speaks louder than words”.
The Pitch Tent Categories
- Business For Good: Uncovering the most disruptive and impactful start ups of today that are investment ready to create a better world for tomorrow. The Blue Earth Summit offers founders from all backgrounds the chance to pitch their business to a room full of investors.
- Pioneering Adventurers: For the very first time the Blue Earth Summit is giving adventurers and explorers from all backgrounds a platform on which to pitch their pioneering adventure. All you need to pitch is a robust plan for an ambitious adventure that’s never been attempted before.
- Impact Project: The Blue Earth Summit is inviting project leaders to come and pitch their project – for people and/or planet – to an expert panel and a room full of investors and professional service providers, all of whom are looking to invest in and support impact projects.
How to apply:
Applications for the Pitch Tent 2022 are now open. Apply here
For more information contact Guy Hayler.
Photos of The Pitch Tent available here.
Blue Earth Summit is a three day breakthrough business event to be held in Bristol from 11-13 October.
