Enterprise Nation has partnered with Adobe to host the Small Business Goes Big competition, inviting entrants to design a two-minute video pitch for a once in a lifetime opportunity that could help grow their business, as well as access to sought-after investment. The competition will see 15 small business video pitches presented to top decision makers at leading retailers, with outstanding entries going through to a Dragon’s Den-style live pitch on stage in front of a fellow entrepreneurs at the UK’s biggest Start Up Show in January 2023.
A £10,000 prize pool will be distributed on the day, at the discretion of the judges.
Small Business Goes Big is an initiative developed by small business support platform Enterprise Nation and Adobe to unleash small business performance and help business owners update their brand identity and reach more buyers and customers.
To enter, businesses need to create a short pitch video using Adobe Express – a free web and mobile app that allows anyone to make exceptional content in minutes without the need for any design or editing experience.
Judges will pick three finalists from each sector: food and drink, homewares, fashion and jewellery, health leisure and wellbeing. Their entries will be watched and assessed by relevant buyers and two from each sector will be sent through to the live pitching event on January 28 at Kings College, London.
Emma Jones, CBE, founder of Enterprise Nation, said: “Running a business can be demanding. So much so that many rarely have time to market your brand effectively. Time-saving and affordable tools like Adobe Express mean it's more now much more accessible to make outstanding content quickly and easily to get the message out there.
“At the same time buyers are short on time, so delivering a sleek, short video pitch explaining how amazing your brand is and how much it deserves to be in their portfolio, is genius! I can’t wait to see the entries coming through. Good luck!”
Simon Morris, Senior Director, Digital Media Marketing, EMEA at Adobe, said: “At Adobe we’re passionate about empowering individuals through creativity, no matter what their background or design experience is. We want to ensure that design is not a barrier to success for small business owners, and so we are excited to be supporting another competition that will support them on their growth journey.”
Fifteen winners will all receive training, support and advice to make sure their pitches are as impressive as the businesses themselves, as well as monetary funding from the £10,000 prize pool. Entries close midnight January 8.
How to Enter
Businesses can enter here --- https://www.enterprisenation.com/small-business-goes-big/application/
Businesses must use Adobe Express (it's free) to quickly and easily create a pitch video that introduces buyers to them, their brand and their product(s). Videos can be a maximum of two minutes long and judging will stop at two minutes if entries are any longer. As winning videos will be made publicly available, they should not include any sensitive business information. Winners will have the opportunity to speak to buyers privately after the live show.
To qualify
Small businesses must be:
· based in the UK
· have fewer than 20 employees
· registered as a:
o limited company with Companies House, or
o sole trader with HMRC and have a unique tax reference (UTR) number
· are not currently engaged in any striking-off or insolvency procedures
The competition will close at midnight on 8 January 2023, and finalists will be notified on or around 17 January. Shortlisted businesses and winners will be invited to a live pitching event in London on 28 January 2023, where winners will present to the buyers alongside their pitch video. Winners will receive training, support and advice to make sure their pitches are as impressive as the businesses themselves.
