‘Pitch Your Green Idea’

Filwood Green Business Park, 1Filwood Park Lane (off Hengrove Way), Bristol, BS4 1ET

Friday 17th June 2016

An opportunity for early stage start-ups to pitch theirsustainable business idea to a panel of experienced environmental entrepreneurs for feedback and the chance to win membership of the WorkHub spaceat the award winning Filwood Green Business Park, the perfect space to develop your business plans. The competition is also being sponsored by the Bristol Pound.

Schedule:

11am to 1pm - Pitching workshop with School for Social Entrepreneurs

1pm to 2pm - Lunch in the WorkHub

2pm to 3pm – Individual pitches

3pm to 5pm - Exhibition and networking; announcement of winners

Panel

Alan BaileyChair, Low Carbon South West

Gary BallHead of Corporate Services, Computershare Ltd

Luke BridgesDirector, MTS Environmental Ltd

Vicky MurraySustainability Manager,Pukka Herbs

Graham WoodruffTechnical Director, Bristol Pound CIC

Format

You will have 6 minutes with the panel, 3 minutes to pitch your idea and 3 minutes for questions. Please try to explain:

  • Your green business idea– What do you want to do and what difference would it make?
  • Your market assessment - Who needs it and how do you know they would want it – and pay for it?
  • The stage of development of the business – What have you done so far and what more needs to happen until you can start doing it?
  • How you plan to take the idea forward – What are your next steps and what do you need to make them happen?

Timing will be strict so that everyone gets an equal chance to pitch their idea. An LED screen with HDMI or VGA input will be provided, please bring your own laptop or email your presentation to once your application has been confirmed.

PRIZES

Prizes include 3 months Work Hub membership at the award winning, BREEAM Outstanding Filwood Green Business Park; some Bristol ££ to help fund your start-up; access to mentors and support from the School for Social Entrepreneurs

Applications:

Please complete the attached application form and send to by Weds 15th June.

‘Pitch Your Green Idea’

Filwood Green Business Park, 1Filwood Park Lane (off Hengrove Way), Bristol, BS4 1ET

Friday 17th June 2016

APPLICATION FORM

Please complete and send to by Weds 15th June

Applicants Name
Contact email and telephone number
Business Name
Brief description of your green idea
Stage of development of the business / 6 months
6 months – 18 months
18 months
Who else is in your team? What are their roles?
What makes your business idea ‘green’?
What are you hoping to get from entering this competition? – so we understand how we may help you, we are not looking for a ‘personal statement’!

JUDGING CRITERIA

Overall, the judges will evaluate the green credentials and the viability of the business proposition and the potential of the team to make it work. Judges are interested in ventures that create new markets as well as those which better service existing needs.

The judging criteria aim to reflect the assessment criteria of potential investors and whether an appropriate investor would consider the business to be a viable commercial enterprise and an attractive investment opportunity. In terms of supporting evidence, the judges are looking for realistic market and financial projections and a good understanding of resources needed to deliver the plan.

Judges will use the following five criteria and weightings, scoring each criterion on a scale from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent):

Business Idea (30%)

The business offers a strong value proposition based on unique selling point(s)
(USP) in defined markets with defendable IP where appropriate.

Market Opportunity (20%)

The business demonstrates a clear market need, a good understanding of how to make the best of the market opportunities, a realistic assessment of the size of the market(s) and the competition therein.

Management Team (30%)

The team demonstrates that it has the passion and drive to succeed and has, or will acquire, the necessary skills and experience in the key areas of the business.

Financial Viability (20%)

The team demonstrates that it understands the financial requirements of the business and has realistic and robust projections.

Potential judge's questions

Your business:

  • What makes your idea ‘green’ compared to what else is on the market?
  • What are the key benefits of your product or service?
  • What supplier relationships does your business rely on?
  • Do you have a final product or service or is it a prototype?

Protecting your idea:

  • Do you need to take steps to protect your Intellectual Property?

The market:

  • How do you know there is a market for your product or service?
  • How big and where is the market?
  • What competition is present in the market?

The customer:

  • Who are the potential customers?
  • How would potential customers know of or buy your product or service?
  • How do you plan to get your product or service to the customer?
  • What pricing structure will you use for your product or service?
  • What support or training is needed by the customer to use your product?

Your team:

  • Who is in your team?
  • Do you have any external mentoring support for the business?
  • Are there any skills you will need to source elsewhere?

Your finance:

  • How much will it cost to develop and sell your product or service?
  • What investment support do you have or will you need?