Interviews
Raising Finance
UberPITCH: The chance for Brits to meet Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and win investment
3 min read
01 June 2016
Uber has launched a business pitching opportunity dubbed UberPITCH across three UK cities, which will provide entrepreneurs the opportunity to win over investors with their idea during a car ride, while the most popular will get to meet the on-demand car service’s founder Travis Kalanick in Germany.
The American business has teamed up with British investment partners including Atomico, EQT, Seedcamp, Elevate.VC, Hoxton Ventures, Flight Ventures, Backed, and more.
Meanwhile, the campaign will run across London, Edinburgh and Birmingham, with the in-car pitching to take place on Friday 3 June between 11am-3pm. Successful applicants will have ten minutes to pitch to an investor who will be waiting in the car, while they will then receive ten minutes of feedback.
“Every day Uber helps connect thousands of people to get around the UK. We want to celebrate these cities in which we live together with our growing community of riders and drivers. By making use of our technology we can bring people closer together and connect great ideas with the right audience,” the company said.
Read more on pitching:
- The four Ps of pitching will help you clinch that deal
- From pitching for new business in a school shirt and tie to creating a £4m company
- Ridiculous pitches: How to not get backing from those coveted investors
Those who submit an idea will receive promo code on Thursday 2 June, which will unlock the UberPITCH view on Uber’s app. Users are encouraged to request an UberPITCH between 11am-3pm on Friday, and to keep requesting if the first attempt fails, with the company noting that “demand will be high”.
In addition to securing access to investors from a variety of funding organisations across the UK, entrepreneurs from across Europe who have the best ideas will be given the chance to meet Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick in Berlin.
On the topic of pitching, Real Business is currently preparing to play its part in a world record with Virgin Media Business and its £1m VOOM 2016 competition.
The firm will be running a 29-hour pitchathon from 11am on 1 June to 4pm on 2 June, and 160 entrepreneurs will hope to win over judges for the chance to reach the final on 28 June, where Richard Branson will be present to listen to their ideas and name the winners.
If you’re looking for advice on what the best approach to a pitch is, these three entrepreneurs have the right idea – Richard Branson certainly thought so.