KPMG has launched its annual competition to find the Best British Tech Startup and businesses from across the Manchester city region are being encouraged to enter.
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 in Cambridge, Oxford, London, Manchester and Birmingham. The competition’s alumni include Babylon Health and Echo and hundreds of millions have been raised by previous participants to date.
Commenting on the competition, Graham Pearce, Head of Technology at KPMG in the North, said: “The Manchester city region has a thriving startup sector built around innovative businesses and this competition offers 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 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. The regional winners 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.
Alex Holt, Global Head of Telecoms and Media, and UK Head of TMT at KPMG, who will be one of the judges concluded: “For the finalists this is an opportunity to get in front of the key players in the technology and telecoms industry, which could be invaluable to their growth ambitions and will open doors that can be difficult for a small enterprise to achieve on their own.
“MWC is the place where the pioneers of mobile technology come together to launch products, discuss ideas for the future, network and present their latest innovations. I am hugely excited that this competition enables us to take startup enterprises that are innovating in pretty much every industry and showcasing the best of British innovation.”
