The pitch

“The Pitch creates consistently slick content. That's really helpful because it makes the process so straightforward for us.”

– Nicola White, Marketing Manager, Sage


The Pitch is a startup competition that gives founders the tools they need to make an impact. We want to make it possible for any entrepreneur, from anywhere in the UK, to change the world.

Our marketing reach, regional finals and meritocratic process lead to a truly diverse cohort. The programme gets amazing founders in front of investors and gives them the platform and support they need to succeed.

The Pitch has been running over a decade, but we proudly brought it under the Inkwell brand in 2017. Since then, it’s evolved from a pitching competition to a national incubator that attracts thousands of startups every year.

  • The Pitch 2021 winner goodloans has been backed by Monzo’s Tom Blomfield

  • By Rotation is now the UK’s leading fashion rental app and is raising a multi-million seed round

  • The Pitch 2018 winner Oddbox has raised £20m and delivered over 2 million "wonky veg" boxes

  • Food delivery service EatFirst now delivers nationwide and has raised over £6m in funding

  • Student task app UniTaskr has built up a 20-strong team since taking part in The Pitch

  • The Pitch 2019 champion Charco recently raised a $10m seed round to develop tech to support people with Parkinson’s

SUPPORTING britain’s brightest startups

Written content that resonates

The Pitch creates educational and engaging content for pre-start, early-stage and scaleup audiences.

The written content produced each year taps into specific challenges that startups in our community face, with a wide range of formats including articles, guides, downloadable checklists and founder profiles.

Our content is grouped into learning hubs for easy navigation through critical topics like finance, team and investment. Every year, these hubs are sponsored exclusively by major brands like Sage, Fiverr and Microsoft.

Articles on The Pitch draw organic traffic long after the competition ends, with thousands of views every month.

Video content WITH A WIDE REACH

We create short, social-friendly educational videos, as well as longer clips for a deep-dive on particular topics.

By live-streaming events, we’ve opened up the competition to a much wider audience. The online 2022 Side Hustle Final and The Pitch Final drew in thousands of viewers.

In 2023 we’re introducing Seed Stage, a weekly interview series that features The Pitch alumni, investors and our partners.

We also create social media-friendly videos collaboratively with The Pitch influencers, shared on platforms like Instagram and TikTok to further scale the reach of The Pitch programme.

nATIONWIDE LIVE EVENTS

Our popular and long-running live events programme gives Pitch partners a unique opportunity to meet and support the UK’s fastest rising startups.

The Pitch semi-finals are held across the UK, allowing us to reach the best startups in areas traditionally underserved by support programmes.

At each event, the top startups in the region are invited to pitch to a panel of investors and entrepreneurs, with the winner of each event heading to our grand final in London.

At The Pitch Final – last year hosted at Google HQ – startups take to the stage to pitch to industry-leading investors, then enjoy an evening of networking, drinks and celebration. 

  • What do investors look for in your startup?

    Watch video

  • Everything you need to know about crowdfunding on Crowdcube

    Watch video

  • Steph from Chu Lo Drinks shares how she validated her idea and built a brand story

    Watch video

  • How to write a powerful startup homepage

    Watch video

  • Six ways to fund your side hustle or early-stage startup

    Watch video

DOWNLOAD THE PITCH 2024 OVERVIEW DECK

The Pitch connects its partners with the UK's most exciting startups, so they can build valuable relationships at scale.

Our partners play a central role in the competition, from sharing their expertise in content and webinars to judging the events. It’s not just about reaching a new audience of entrepreneurs; it’s about fostering meaningful engagement and connections that will last.

Want to learn more about getting involved in The Pitch 2024? You can download our 2024 overview deck and email Chris Goodfellow (chris@inkwellagency.co.uk), Inkwell’s founder, for more details.