Exclusive videos of BusinessZone.co.uk's answer to Dragons' Den!

DanMartin

Free Member
May 14, 2007
2,829
149
Bristol
BusinessZone.co.uk, UKBF's sister website, recently ran The Pitch, a new competition at the Bristol Design Festival allowing entrepreneurs to present their business, invention or idea to a panel of experts. It was a hugely successful event and we are today pleased to announce we have published video footage of the contest. Featuring expert advice from our 'dragons' the videos provide valuable guidance on how to pitch to investors. View the videos below:

Douglas Campbell, Project Hold Me
University of the West of England design graduate Douglas Campbell has formulated a unique and innovative egg-shaped incubator aimed at nurturing the bond between mothers and their newborn babies during their stay in hospital.

Edward Ross, Tonsho.com
Edward Ross' Tonsho.com deals with the problem of sending large emails. Unlike other services where files have to be uploaded to special websites or software has to be downloaded, Tonsho users send files as normal messages.

Iain Hockings, Friends Of The Game
Focusing on encouraging more children to watch professional football matches, Iain Hockings has designed a satchel which doubles as a booster seat. Once inflated, the product gives kids an uninterrupted view of the action.

Katcha Bilek, re-Collect
re-Collect, run by entrepreneur Katcha Bilek, produces fashion accessories made out of recycled materials. Using everyday items such as old car tyres, Bilek has developed a unique range of handbags, belts and furniture.

Nicki Stewart, Diverse Hampers
The products sold by Nicki Stewart's Diverse Hampers offer a fresh alternative to the traditional wicker basket filled with cheeses and ham. The company provides a collection of striking gifts containing products from small producers around the UK.

Scott Abbott, Armadillo Chair
Scott Abbott's Armadillo Chair is a piece of portable furniture aimed at young, affluent professionals who relocate on a regular basis. The chair expands to create a cocooned micro-environment allowing 'comfort moments' such as having a cup of tea or listening to music.

Peter Martin, RE:tie
RE:tie, dreamt up by inventor Peter Martin, is an eco-packaging idea to evolve the security closure design on bottles and jar caps into a reusable cable tie. The product is suitable for many uses around the home and garden.

The judges' final discussion
After watching pitches by the seven shortlisted entrepreneurs, the judges - Jonny Allatt, Ben Heald, Modwenna Rees-Mogg and Samantha Fountain - discuss the overall standard and who should be the winner.
 

bubblewrap

Free Member
May 29, 2008
66
2
I found the Tonsho concept is quite appealing, especially for media agencies. I was going to forward this to an old colleague who's been using file transfer websites of all sorts and could really do with something like, especially with photoshop and illustrator flat files which are massive.

However.. their site (Tonsho.com) doesn't work boo.. :(
 
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bubblewrap

Free Member
May 29, 2008
66
2
Unfortunately still doesn't for me.

Could be very valuable for creative and media agencies around the world I reckon, exchanging large files among clients and suppliers is a daily practice and very frustrating one at times. I'll forward it to my network and see what they think of it.

Elie
 
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First of all I'd like to thank Dan and the team at SiftMedia for a very well organised and useful competition. I'd definitely recommend entering to any other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Elie: Thank you for your interest in Tonsho. The site is definitely up and running, I suspect it could be a temporary connection issue. Please give it another try in a few hours time. If you are still having problems please do not hesitate to contact me directly on edward at rosstech dot biz and I'll help you sort out the problem.
 
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Diverse

Free Member
Jun 3, 2008
160
9
UK
I would also to say thank you to the BusinessZone team, especially Dan. It was a well thought out, well organised business competition.

The Pitch is a great way to promote your business, whilst experiencing the art of presenting - something many of us avoid!

I would definately advise sme owners to enter the competition when next run...although I hope I get to keep my crown for at least 12 months Dan!?
 
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DanMartin

Free Member
May 14, 2007
2,829
149
Bristol
I hope I get to keep my crown for at least 12 months Dan!?

Many thanks for your kind words Nicki. As for the next contest, watch this space! ;)

Very interesting!! Are there more videos of other contestants?

Pleased to hear you found the videos interesting. The seven entrepreneurs were the finalists who were selected from everyone who entered the competition.
 
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DanMartin

Free Member
May 14, 2007
2,829
149
Bristol
Loved the re-collect. What a great idea and nicely executed too. I would definitely pay for those items and i know lots of environmentally conscious people who would happily invest in such ideas.
X C

Pleased to hear you think so. All the entrepreneurs featured certainly had some very good ideas. We hope to do the competition again soon so watch this space!
 
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