Tech start-ups are being invited to compete for the chance to pitch their business to international investors at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
KPMG has launched the search for innovators for its sixth annual Best British Tech Pioneer competition. Those which make the shortlist will be invited to pitch to a panel of business leaders in Glasgow and Edinburgh in January.
The best will compete against business stars from throughout the UK in February and the ultimate winners will be flown to the Barcelona later that month, where they’ll pitch to a panel of global industry experts to be crowned the Best British Tech Pioneer.
The winners will also be given exhibition booths at the next Four Years From Now (4YFN) conference to showcase their business to a start-up focused audience. Previous finalists have included Babylon Health, What3Words Echo and SafeToNet, and more than £100 million has been raised by previous finalists to date.
Research from KPMG reveals more than £90 million of venture capital (VC) was invested into Scottish start-ups in the first three quarters of 2019, with deal value on-track to beat 2018’s £100 million of investments. KPMG has a dedicated team based at the Clockwise co-working space in Glasgow to support start-ups there.
Amy Burnett, KPMG enterprise manager based at Clockwise, said: “Scotland’s start-up community is thriving and it’s attracting increasing global attention and investment. On a daily basis I meet innovative market disrupters, but one of the biggest issues they face is accessing investment and getting in front of the right people at the right time. Our Best British Tech Pioneer competition is about finding that talent and providing them with the opportunity to immediately access a global audience.”
