A £1m pitching competition for West Midlands-based founders has been launched to uncover promising new tech startups in the region.
The One to Win competition was launched at London Tech Week by TechWM – a startup support organisation for the West Midlands – and a group of stakeholders including the Rigby Group, SCC, Haatch and the West Midlands Co-Invest Fund from Future Planet Capital.
The competition will be accepting applications from July, with selected candidates winning the opportunity to pitch for the grand prize during Birmingham Tech Week in October.
“The One to Win is the culmination of everything we’re doing to nurture, platform, and develop the fantastic tech scene here in the West Midlands,” said TechWM CEO Yiannis Maos.
“All parties involved share the belief that the region is the sleeping giant of the tech landscape, and we’ve been working incredibly hard to let the world know what it has to offer.”
Steve Rigby, co-CEO of Rigby Group, added: “The West Midlands has all the qualities needed to become a leading tech powerhouse.
“We are enormously proud of our roots and are delighted to support TechWM and their work to put our home region on the global stage. I very much believe One to Win will shine a light on our homegrown tech talent and provide game-changing support to the winning business.”
Also at London Tech Week, the West Midlands Growth Company, an investment promotion agency in the region, launched its UK market entry programme.
The programme will provide support to international tech companies looking to expand into the West Midlands.
“We’re looking forward to supporting a whole new cohort of companies, as we continue to promote and strengthen the region’s world-class innovation ecosystem,” said Neil Rami, CEO of West Midlands Growth Company.