From day one at Cisco, innovation has – and continues to be – in our blood. And that innovation doesn’t just revolve around our products, but is a core belief and focus that runs through our people, processes and our partnerships. Here in the UK, we’re passionate about supporting the country’s exciting start-up community and we offer a range of UK-wide initiatives and partnerships designed to enable tech entrepreneurs and start-ups to flourish and grow (find out more here).
And that’s why we’re thrilled to be announcing today our new partnership with another fantastic initiative dedicated to forwarding the country’s entrepreneur agenda: Pitch@Palace. Founded by The Duke of York in Spring 2014, Pitch@Palace aims to amplify and accelerate promising entrepreneurs by connecting them with potential supporters including CEOs, Angels, Mentors, and key Business Partners. Collaborative in approach, the programme provides a platform from which entrepreneurs can engage and interact with potential supporters, with a view to delivering positive outcomes in terms of both funding and business outcomes.
Our new partnership with Pitch@Palace has meant we’ve had the opportunity to play a key role in Pitch@Palace 4.0, with a focus topic very close to our hearts – the Internet of Things and Smart Cities. With a specific emphasis upon products and services that are helping to create a smarter world and empowering consumers and citizens to engage with objects and the environment around them, this latest event has the potential to discover the real tech start-ups stars of the future.
Indeed, this week I am delighted to be judging at the latest Bootcamp event, listening to pitches from the top 42 entrepreneurs picked from the 200+ that applied. With backgrounds in areas as varied as energy, healthcare, manufacturing, retail and transportation these entrepreneurs hail from across the United Kingdom and represent the very cutting edge thinking and innovation around IoT and Smart Cities.
During the bootcamp, alongside other leading industry experts and Pitch@Palace alumni, I’ll have the opportunity to provide feedback to the entrepreneurs, coach and mentor. Mentoring is a core element of our Cisco start-up programmes and something that we passionately believe in offering to all entrepreneurs and start-ups that we work with, whether it be business guidance or specific technical advice.
And the next step? To the palace! From this week’s bootcamp session, we will select 12-15 finalists who will be invited to pitch at St. James’s Palace on 2nd November, in front of an audience by CEOs, investors, influencers and the media. First, second and third place winners will be announced on the night by a judging panel, of which I’m thrilled to be part of, but all 42 of the shortlisted entrepreneurs will have access to this fantastic money-can’t-buy networking event. A great opportunity for any aspiring start-up!
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