New €5,000 pitch competition emerges for entrepreneurs

19 Jun 2017

Image: Fizkes/Shutterstock

The avenues available to entrepreneurs to secure funding are as numerous as they are welcome in the community, with a new micro-finance video-pitch competition the latest on the theme.

Backed by Dublin’s Local Enterprise Office and hot-desk provider Space, VidPitch is the latest start-up tournament to emerge, with €5,000 on offer to budding companies.

One of the smaller such programmes, the winner of VidPitch will also a secure a position at Space on Dawson Street for one year.

The entirely online video-pitching competition is asking interested entrepreneurs to submit a short video of their product or service, with public voting determining the winner. Therefore, the more creative and clever the video, the more likely that the entrant will win the top prize.

Entries are encouraged to be sent in by 7 July.

The start-up scene in Dublin is buzzing at the moment.

For example, the seventh consecutive annual Startup Weekend Dublin this month saw Super T, a company that is looking to use 3D printing to increase drug adherence for kids, emerge as the victor.

In runner-up position was one for the comic lovers, ReachComics, which wants to provide a subscription service for indie comics as well as a focus on fairness for creatives, by giving them an outlet to sell simply online.

Meanwhile, Dell EMC and GirlCrew have joined forces to establish the new Supper Club series, where women entrepreneurs will meet regularly to share ideas and strategies for success. The first meeting of the Supper Club will take place on 21 June in Dublin, with 20 leading female entrepreneurs invited.

Beyond Ireland, yesterday (18 June) saw applications close for a major B2B and enterprise SaaS start-up accelerator that is due to kick off in Berlin in September.

Leading the Techstars and SAP accelerator is Irish man Connor Murphy, an accomplished entrepreneur who sold his enterprise start-up Datahug to CallidusCloud last year for €13m.

He is one of a number of Irish entrepreneurs who are filling the ranks at Techstars, including Eamonn Carey in New York and Brian Daly, who is now the European marketing manager at the organisation.

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

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