Open Mic Competition

‘To invest or not to invest’ that is the question we will be asking the audience this year!

We’re back by popular demand are inviting you, the south’s innovators and entrepreneurs, to step up, pitch big and impress the Open Mic audience in a bid to be chosen ‘Open Mic Champion’.

So, the only question is, what have you got to say for yourself?

Open Mic has been a big part of Venturefest South since the beginning. This interactive, informal and fun pitching competition is open to all, no matter what your experience, investment readiness or what stage you are at in development.

Competitors get just three minutes to pitch their latest and greatest idea to a panel of expert judges and an enthusiastic audience of innovators, investors and entrepreneurs.

Ed Gould – Creative Director, Carswell Gould said:

“I love running Open Mic, we get brilliant and brave people sharing ideas and innovations. Every time we’ve done it we’ve been reminded of just how dynamic the south’s innovation economy is.

“This year, we have a bigger stage and we are nestled in the heart of what promises to be the most exciting zone at #VFS21, bring it on.”

So, what are you waiting for? Be bold, put your name down and be ready to get your pitch on, just remember it’s against the clock and if you run over you will hear the dreaded Open Mic ‘timeout bell’ and be forced to zip it!

 

More information

Previous Open Mic winner James Zorab, pitched his idea Railbuddy, which is an app that tells users when they are owed a compensation claim from train delays, and also helps people submit their claim in seconds. You can see his winning pitch here on VFSTV (you can also see some of the other pitches to get an idea of how it works.

Where? 

Innovation Zone / Open Mic

Open Mic Schedule

11:00 – 12:30 – Open Mic Session 1 (9 pitches)

13:30 – 3pm – Open Mic Session 2 (9 pitches)

How do I sign up? 

Email engage@venturefestsouth.co.uk and let us know you are interested, or you can get a slot by signing in on the infamous Open Mic white board. Come and see us after the event is opened.

How does it work? 

You can pitch with or without slides. Bring a laptop or usb stick with slides if you would like them (there’s a big screen). You get just three minutes to pitch your idea and then the bell will ring to stop you. You will then get a five minute question and answer session from the judges. Then you wait to see if you have won!

What’s the judging criteria?

Judges will be looking to mark each of the following key criteria out of 10:

  • How interesting the innovation is
  • Growth potential
  • Investability of idea
  • How well it’s pitched

Good luck and we look forward to seeing you there.