Innovator Launchpad, the start-up funding competition run by intellectual property attorneys Murgitroyd, has launched again with an increased prize fund and new competition sponsor.
The top prize now rises to £6,500 thanks to additional funding from new sponsor Leyton, the innovation funding advisory specialist.
Leyton will also be offering in-kind support to the final three in the competition, to complement the intellectual property advice supplied by Murgitroyd.
Betabrand, the San-Francisco-based online clothing community also continues to support the competition by supplying limited edition “space jackets” for the winners.
The competition invites pre-profit and non-profit businesses based in the UK to demonstrate that they solve a significant business or social problem, and involves the submission of a 30-second video and a short application form.
The initial competition launched in spring of this year was won by Falkirk-based biotech start-up uFraction8 co-founded by Brian Miller and Monika Tomecka.
The video element is new to the latest competition and Murgitroyd’s European Marketing Manager, Fiona McKenzie, commented:
“We’re excited about the new on-screen element, as we feel this will really display the passion the applicants have for their business and the problem they solve.
“We’ve made several changes in this competition, guided by feedback we received from applicants last time, so we’re hoping this will make the competition as streamlined as possible”.
The top ten applicants from the first phase will go through to a public voting stage where members of the public will be able to vote on Facebook for their top three videos.
The ‘Final Three’ will then be judged by a cross-industry panel to decide on a first, second and third ranking, with the winner being announced in January 2018.
McKenzie encourages businesses to get their entries in as soon as possible: “For the time it takes to make a 30-second video and fill in a short application form, businesses could win a substantial cash injection to their business.
“We wish all applicants best of luck and look forward to seeing some great entries!”.
The closing date for submissions is Wednesday November 15 at noon, and applicants can enter at: facebook.com/innovatorlaunchpad.
Murgitroyd (murgitroyd.com) is a global firm of intellectual property attorneys with UK offices in Aberdeen, Belfast, Glasgow, London, Newcastle and York. The firm specialises in helping businesses protect and maximise return on their intellectual property assets.
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