News / Start-ups
Two Bristol entrepreneurs pitch to Branson
Two Bristol start ups are appealing for public votes in this year’s round of Richard Branson’s VOOM competition, a contest in which businesses nationwide pitch to win part of a £1m prize fund and mentoring support. The companies with the most public votes proceed to the next round where they have the opportunity to pitch to Richard Branson.
Urban gardening enterprise Lettus Grow and technology company Shop Saviour are two of hundreds of company across the UK vying for the prize.
Lettus Grow is an initiative by graduates of the University of Bristol aimed at reducing salad wastage – which stands at some 45 per cent nationwide and 68 per cent of bagged salad – through a hydroponic system that allows customers to grow their own and a complementary app that reminds you when to water your plants and automates lighting.
Co-founder Jack Farmer said: “The team are all passionate about making sustainable, fresh food accessible to everyone. To really launch LettUs Grow properly we really need to complete this crowdfunder campaign and build as big a support base as possible.
“We are currently fourth in the crowdfunder and 15th in the vote but need to keep climbing to pitch to Richard Branson. Please take a look at our pitch and support us!”
Shop Saviour is a web-based platform where businesses can create online stores without needing any expertise in building or managing websites.
“I moved down to Bristol because of its strong technology scene and exciting entrepreneurial spirit,” says founder David Foreman. “Having a Bristol-based entrepreneur win this competition would be a real opportunity to shout about just how good Bristol is for tech start-ups. I recently won the Open University entrepreneurship competition, I’m into the finals of the Santander entrepreneurship competition and as I type I’m currently in 56th position in the VOOM competition after joining just four days ago.
“I’ve been working extremely hard on my business from the spare room in my house for nearly three years and I’m truly passionate about growing an ethical business that provides a beneficial service and helps others. My business is an e-commerce platform that helps other entrepreneurs and business owners build a powerful online store without the huge set-up costs and they don’t need to have any tech skills or previous experience building websites.”
Voting closes on May 23. To cast your vote:
www.vmbvoom.com/pitches/lettus-grow
www.vmbvoom.com/pitches/shop-saviour/
Read more: Bristol companies among the UK’s top creatives