Winchester entrepreneurs put investment pitch skills to the test at Dragons’ Den-style event
Eight Winchester entrepreneurs working to grow their companies as part of a local business growth programme put their investment pitching skills to the test as part of a Dragons’ Den-style event on Friday 17 January.
The event saw participants from eight companies pitch to a panel of judges for a chance to win a free package of business support as part of the Business Growth Factory, a growth programme headed up by The IncuHive group and Winchester City Council.
It was a chance for eight entrepreneurs to put skills learned over the course of the Growth Factory into practice, with the top prizes clinched by Yiran Xie, founder of Ideal Find Ltd, for her pitch centred around her biodegradable rain poncho, and runner-up Stephanie Swann for her Garden Festival pitch.
The panel of dragons included local businessman Barry Sacks as well as city council Cabinet Member for Business and Culture Cllr Lucille Thompson and Business Engagement Manager Alison Woods.
The IncuHive Group Chief Executive Officer George Scott-Welsh, who oversaw the event, said:
“It was fantastic to see the passion and innovation from all the entrepreneurs who pitched as part of the Business Growth Factory. The level of preparation and creativity on display was outstanding, and it highlights the incredible potential within Winchester’s business community.
“The Winchester Growth Factory programme has been instrumental in equipping entrepreneurs with the skills, confidence, and resources to grow their businesses. At Incuhive, we continue to do what we are best at: supporting and developing startups and small businesses, helping them to turn their ideas into thriving ventures."
Speaking about the event, Cllr Thompson said:
“It was a fantastic experience to hear some of our district’s local small businesses pitch their business ideas to mark the success of our Business Growth Factory
“With IncuHive’s help we’ve been able to offer these entrepreneurs some really valuable support through the programme, and it was great to be able to see some of the progress they have made - the enthusiasm and the innovation that each of them brought to the table was inspiring to see.”
Among the entrepreneurs to take part were Caroline Horne of womens’ wellness space business The Breaker Collective Ltd and Filiz Taylan Yuzak of content creation and social media business Vibrant Content.
Participants also included Penny Tompkins of bespoke catering service The Shed, Nicolas Stoner of academic software platform Knowledgeable.
The Business Growth Factory itself was designed to support Winchester district entrepreneurs from small to medium-sized businesses through a series of workshops and mentoring sessions focusing on identifying target markets, managing finances and making successful investment pitches.
The programme has been provided to district businesses completely free of charge thanks to funding from the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.