Entrepeneurs battle it out for a princely sum Prince hears business ideas at city Dragon’s Den-style competition
ABIRMINGHAM agency which helps disabled people enjoy travel has won a place in the next stage of a Dragon’s Den- style event led by the Duke of York.
Limitless Travel, based in Colmore business district, was one of three firms chosen at the latest round of Pitch@Palace and will now go on to a ‘boot camp’ in Nottingham.
The Prince came to Birmingham this week along with a panel of experts to hear business ideas from 16 start-up firms.
The visit brought together entrepreneurs in fields such as healthcare, robotics, connected devices, wearable technology, augmented and virtual reality.
The judges, supported by an audience vote, selected three companies to progress to the boot camp next month where they will receive business support, investment advice and pitch development.
Finalists will then have the opportunity to pitch at the main event at St James’s Palace in April.
The other winners were Londonbased Desolenator, a developer of clean technology which uses solar power to make dirty water drinkable, and Nottingham-based NuVision Biotherapies which has created treatments for certain eye diseases.
The Duke of York praised the quality of the entrants and highlighted the importance of the start-up sector to helping the UK economy.
“These events show we can find local solutions to national problems,” he said.
“Entrepreneurs are hugely impor- tant to the UK and in most cases there are key things they need to grow such as mentoring, advice and investment. We find people who are able to help.”
He added: “The quality of the businesses has been outstanding and some of them are quite new but the pitches have been excellent. This city is rich in entrepreneurial activity and entrepreneurs themselves.
“They used to go to London but it’s now more cost effective to come to places like Birmingham so we are very interested in getting around the country to find that talent.”
The event was held at the city centre offices of financial services firm KPMG which is also a sponsor and founding partner of the initiative.
Midlands regional chairman Karl Edge said: “The entrepreneurs really set the bar high with some exceptional quality pitches, showcasing the creativity and innovation the Midlands has to offer.
“There’s never been a more exciting time to be in the Midlands and this event is testament to the talented people we have across the region.”