Applications for the competition, which is now in its fifth year, are open for startup businesses that can demonstrate their market potential, innovation and the benefits of their products to a panel of industry experts.
The competition, which has had more than 1,000 applications since it launched in 2013, will see successful applicants invited to pitch their business to a panel of judges at events held across the UK, Including Cambridge for the first time!
Commenting on the competition, Mark Prince, Head of Enterprise at KPMG in Cambridge said : “We are delighted to be bringing our search for the Best British Technology Startup to Cambridge – home of technology and innovation. This competition offers local early and growth-stage businesses the opportunity to pitch in front of major industry players looking for the next potential startup to invest in, buy from, or form an alliance with. We are looking for entrepreneurs who can showcase just how strong Britain is in disruptive technologies and innovative business models. Some of these players could already be making a huge impact in their fields, others may be hidden gems getting ready to reveal themselves to the world. I am excited to see what this year has on offer.”
The competition’s alumni include include SareToNet, What3Words and Echo and hundreds of millions have been raised by previous participants to date. Pitching events are being held in Oxford, London, Manchester and Birmingham with the Cambridge event being held on 24th January 2019 at Judge Business School.
The winners of the regional events will be flown to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona in February 2019 to compete for the title Best British Tech Startup. They will also be provided with exhibition booths at the next Four Years From Now (4YFN) conference to showcase their businesses and get access to the Mobile World Congress.
The competition provides an unrivalled opportunity for British startups to raise their profile, gain access to investors, clients, corporate alliance partners and a booth to present their startup to over 100,000 industry players. The Mobile World Congress is one of the world’s largest annual technology industry gathering, organised by the GSMA. Last year the event attracted over 100,000 attendees from all parts of the world, including over 7,000 CEO participants, 2,000 exhibitors and 3,500 international media and analysts. Hundreds of investors attend the event in Barcelona all of whom are searching for the next unicorn to get involved with.
Applications close at 11.59pm on Friday 23rd November 2018.
Further details regarding the competition can be found at : https://www.kpmgenterprise.co.uk/bbts
Image: One of the competitors pitching at Mobile World Congress last year