Each of the winning entrepreneurs – one for each competition category – will now take home a share of the £1 million prize fund, which will help them to grow and develop their businesses.
The winners were chosen by a panel of expert judges, led by Sir Richard, during the live finale at Second Home, the Shoreditch start-up hub in East London. Their pitches stood out for their strong vision, originality and potential to disrupt their market.
Peter Kelly, Managing Director of Virgin Media Business, said: “Supporting businesses to grow is our passion; it’s part of our purpose. That’s why I’m so proud we’ve been able to recognise their dedication and creativity through this year’s competition.
“Today is a celebration of all of the brilliant ideas we’ve seen over the past three months. In our winners we have selected three businesses that are set to shake up their industries and I can’t wait to see what they do next.”
Along with the business accelerator prize fund, the winners will receive mentoring and marketing support from Virgin Media Business.
Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group Founder, said: “Overcoming fear is the first step to success for entrepreneurs. The winners of the Virgin Media Business Pitch to Rich competition all exemplify that, and the hard work and commitment they have shown underlines what is needed to set up a business.
“Judging today’s pitches has been an incredibly hard, but inspiring task. This competition has been a wonderful experience and I’m very excited to be working with our winners as they progress on to the next stage of their journey.”
Judging the pitches at today’s event were Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Media Business Managing Director Peter Kelly, and guest judges Jo Malone, David Gandy, Justine Roberts and Jon Oringer.
Each of the six runners up will also be rewarded with support that will help them to kick-start the growth and development of each of their businesses.