The inaugural Cambridge Tech Week Scale-Up Business Plan Competition is an exciting new opportunity to identify, celebrate and promote scale-ups that are an inspiration to future generations of entrepreneurs.
The competition is free to enter and is suitable for scale-ups that fit the below criteria:
- Demonstration of strong revenue and/or are about to raise or have just raised a series A investment (£5+)
- Proof of growth in headcount (i.e. over 50 people)
- Demonstration of unique innovation in technology or business models
An expert judging panel will review entries and shortlist five companies who will have the opportunity to pitch their business plans in a closed session to the panel, engage in a Q+A, get feedback and potential further support during Cambridge Tech Week on Wednesday, 11th September.
Two finalists will then get to show their mettle by pitching to a public audience at the historic Cambridge Union Society Debating Chamber to get a people’s vote.
The winner will be awarded an invitation and publicity at the Business Weekly Awards that same evening, as well as feature on the Cambridge Tech Week website, PR and social media.
Our Judges
- Martin Rigby, Managing Director, ET Capital
- Cian Hughes, Head of VC AI EMEA, Oracle
- Shai Vyakarnam, Visiting Professor, The Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship, Cranfield University
- Jo Slota Newson, Principal, Almanac Ventures
- Manjari Chandran-Ramesh, Partner, Amadeus Capital Partners
- Prashant Shah, Co-CEO, o2h
Application Process
This competition is for innovative scale-ups who can demonstrate a mature go-to-market plan and economic impact.
Applicants will be scored based on the quality and robustness of its business plan, presented in a deck of circa 20 slides, covering:
- Company vision & objectives;
- Market attractiveness & competitive advantage;
- Go-to-Market strategy and operational plans;
- Team quality and recruitment strategy;
- And a summary of robust financials.
