The event, organised by
BusinessZone.co.uk in association with digital services provider Yell, has selected a total of 80 small businesses across the UK who are competing for this year’s top prize which includes business support worth £50,000.
Among the Scottish finalists, selected by the judging panel which included Nick, Tom Darnell from
Yell and Keith Proudfoot from ICAEW, is Donnie Maclean, whose company, Eat Balanced, provides a must-eat for all foodies; a nutritionally balanced pizza.
Also flying the flag for Scotland will be Chris Gibson, who has reinvented the necktie. With his business The Supertie Company, the entrepreneur has created an ingeniously designed zip mechanism housed inside the most immaculate of knots.
Another Scottish competitor is Joanna Montgomery, founder of creative interactive design company Little Riot. Her first product is Pillow Talk which aims to connect long distance lovers. Each person has a ring sensor they wear to bed at night, and a fabric panel which slots inside their pillowcase. The ring wirelessly communicates with the other person’s pillow and when one person goes to bed, their lover’s pillow begins to glow to indicate their presence.
One winner selected by the audience will receive a cash award raised from the proceeds of the event ticket sales. In addition, four regional winners will be chosen to compete for the £50,000 prize at The Pitch 2012 Grand Final at London’s Ministry of Sound nightclub in November, while 16 winners will be awarded wildcard status and compete for the most public votes and the fifth slot in the final.
Nick Price said: “I am delighted to continue to offer my support to The Pitch as it is an excellent initiative which gives great business ideas a national platform to help them succeed. Scotland has always been a natural home of business innovation so I will wish all 17 finalists from north of the border the best of luck as they progress to the next round of the competition.”
Dan Martin, editor of BusinessZone.co.uk and founder of The Pitch, said: “Entrants to The Pitch certainly stepped up a gear in 2012 and that included our Scottish applications.
“Last year’s overall champion was our Scottish winner, Ross Dickinson, the founder of Kibosh. We look forward to finding out whether The Pitch’s class of 2012 will produce another winner from Scotland!”
The Scottish small businesses included in The Pitch 80 are:
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Castle RePaintScotland
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Alan Stewart
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theCADcube
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Darren Lester
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Whaapp Ltd
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Craig Angus
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| Arb Aid Ltd |
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Greig Sutherland |
| eSkills Learning |
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Margaret Totten and Angela Neal |
| Eat Balanced Ltd |
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Donnie Maclean |
| Popcorn Horror Ltd |
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Felix Gilfedder |
| Appurchase Ltd |
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Jonathan Scott |
| Bad Pony Media |
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Frank McGowan |
| Digilets |
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Sam Zawadzki |
| Clear Returns |
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Vicky Brock |
| The Service Directory |
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Gary Maitles |
| Little Riot |
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Joanna Montgomery |
| tru:beauty Skincare Ltd |
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SaraJane Lynch |
| The SuperTie Company |
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Chris Gibson |
| Kelvin Valley Honey |
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Paul Holmes |
| Haggis Hostels |
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Allan Campbell |