CFE hosts its ninth NEF Fast Track Startup Pitch Competition

The Centre for Entrepreneurs (CFE) hosted its ninth NEF Fast Track startup pitch event online on Friday 26th June 2020 with 11 pitches and three expert judges. The pitch event is the culmination of NEF’s 12-month entrepreneurship programme and this year included varying pitches from a keratin hair-straightening solution for customers with curly hair to a platform that allows the expert management of online pitch events!

Startup founders who pitched included: Tereza Pigova of 1001 Stories , Ash Staines, Volunteero; Victoria Collins, LingUpp; Ishan Wijewardana, EEVA; Maxxwell Firth, Founder Tribe; Bayo Akins, Creditz; Joel Gujral, MYNDUP; Lucia Banjo, Embrace Keratin; Claudine Adeyemi, CareerEar; Zac Feighery, YouDrive and Jaron Soh, Traktion.

Judges included Monica Monajem, Founder & CEO, Amitis Partners; Daniel Domberger, Managing Director, Arrowpoint Advisory and Stephen Welton, Executive Chairman at BGF with Neeta Patel, CEO of the Centre for Entrepreneurs as host of the pitch competition.

“This is our ninth pitch day and I’ve seen 500 business ideas pitched during that time – 170 of these have gone on to launch raising over £100 million in investment and the NEF Fast track programme has created 2500 jobs,” said Neeta Patel, CEO of the Centre for Entrepreneurs.

Ffion Fabian, Head of Operations, said “The NEF Pitch Day 2020 was fully online this time and even though we weren’t in one room with each other, it was still a wonderful event full of connections and inspiring ideas.”

The pitches:

1001 Stories creates beautiful statement shoes for women while empowering marginalised communities around the world to use their craft in order to gain financial independence.

Volunteero is an app that makes focused volunteering opportunities, or missions available for volunteers to complete at their own pace.

LingUpp is the only peer-to-peer language learning company focused on helping professionals accelerate their business language learning. It facilitates structured conversations between native speakers.

Eeva is a personal audio companion (a smart speaker with a built-in voice assistant) designed to help the elderly converse, keep in contact with their loved ones and break down mental barriers of social isolation.

Founder Tribe is a tech platform that facilitates operational and community management of entrepreneurship programmes.

Creditz is building a music marketplace that has two main benefits:

1. Showcases artist talent to other industry professionals so they aren’t dependent on representatives.
2. Can connect with different industry participants directly and seamlessly.

MyndUp provides virtual mental health sessions through live 1-to-1 video with practitioners ranging from therapists and counsellors to life coaches and mindfulness practitioners.

Embrace Keratin is a keratin treatment that is free from formaldehyde and its derivatives and is tailored for women with curly hair. It can be done at home, so consumers don’t have to pay salon prices without compromising on quality.

CareerEar is a site which empowers career-seekers to make informed decisions about their careers. The platform features a unique Q&A function allowing career-seekers to ask questions to people from a range of industries and uses.

The YouDrive platform allows learners to quickly see which driving instructors are available in their area, use advanced filters such as price, availability and reviews to find exactly what their after and book and pay lessons securely online.

Traktion is a tech enabled platform to hire and collaborate with the world’s top growth talent. Traktion leverages the rich supply of performance data.

More details about the pitches can be found at https://foundertribe.org/nef-fast-track/

About the NEF Fast Track

The NEF Fast Track’s mission is to develop the entrepreneurial leaders of the future.

The programme is an intensive 12-month experience that puts the practical application of new skills and knowledge at its core. It encompasses 5 elements, each designed to develop participants’ skills, knowledge and connections:

• a unique and interactive learning programme that takes participants from idea to launch of a startup business;
• a challenging work placement in a partner company, learning directly from successful entrepreneurs;
• exclusive networking opportunities, through a speaker events programme that features inspirational entrepreneurs and business leaders;
• access to executive coaches who focus on developing leadership skills;
• business mentors who help to refine and develop business ideas.

The NEF Fast Track programme is the beginning of the journey for each cohort with its thriving alumni network playing a critical role in supporting startup founders and the wider NEF network, organising events and helping to recruit future cohorts.

For further information visit https://centreforentrepreneurs.org/nef-fast-track/

About The Centre for Entrepreneurs (CFE)

The Centre for Entrepreneurs (CFE) is the UK’s leading entrepreneurship foundation. Its activities focus on advancing the entrepreneurship agenda for the UK, and are grouped under four key pillars:

• Delivering entrepreneurial development programmes;
• Researching the state of entrepreneurship and how to unlock potential in neglected groups, communities and locations;
• Building thriving entrepreneurial communities;
• Engaging and informing policy makers and the public.

The Centre for Entrepreneurs is a charity, registered in England and Wales, number 1140102.

For further information visit https://centreforentrepreneurs.org/