Entrepreneurs to present pitch

Judge of the Rotorua start-up pitch event Josh Daniell.

One of the contestants in next month's Start-up Pitch night reckons years of watching Dragons' Den has prepared him well.

The event in Rotorua is being held to help profile new ideas and growing businesses. And, as Tarawera Ultramarathon race director Paul Charteris - the Dragons' Den fan - points out, "to have a fun evening".

Rotorua X Charitable Trust chairman Darren McGarvie said it was important for the growth of the city to support new and existing enterprises and help them grow.

"Over the last couple of weeks there has been a lot of positive news for the business community such as increased employment listings and new interest in vacant buildings in town," he said.

"To continue to see growth in Rotorua it is important to support growth in new and existing businesses and not for profit organisations. One way to do this is to foster and create an entrepreneurial spirit in the business community.

"Key to any start-up is the business pitch. They are used to promote the core proposition to investors and stakeholders to attract funds needed for growth. We wanted to create an opportunity for entrepreneurs of commercial and not-for-profit organisations to practise their pitch and receive constructive feedback without the high pressure situation.

"The Start-up Pitch night is not just for fledging start-ups either. Existing organisations that have new ideas to achieve growth can benefit from being involved."

Mr Charteris, who started the ultramarathon and now works as a full-time race director, joked he had derived his strategy from watching every episode of TV show Dragons' Den.

"You target the dragon that you think has the most money. As revenue minister, Todd McClay surely has billions and billions."

Mr Charteris' business is of course deadly serious - he's off to France the day after the Start-up Pitch to meet with other race directors from the Ultra-Trail World Tour - however for him the night is more about fun and networking with other start-ups and entrepreneurs.

"That's essential. When you're in business on your own and you're relatively new ... [you need] to go to these sort of events to know that you're not alone."

Mr McGarvie said the number of organisations pitching would be limited to 10. They will have 8 minutes to woo the celebrity and business experts, as well as the audience, he said.

The judges are Josh Daniell from equity crowdfunding forum Snowball Effect, Rotorua angel investor Ryan Holmes, local MP Todd McClay, mayor Steve Chadwick and Labour candidate Tamati Coffey.

"This will be a fun and vibrant evening showcasing the entrepreneurs in our town. You don't need to be part of a pitch to attend and there is no entry fee for the audience. We encourage the business community to come along and help pick the crowd favourite," Mr McGarvie said.

Prizes are being sourced for the winning pitch and will include products or services to help the organisation achieve their goals, such as business coaching.

The Start-up Pitch night is on Friday, August 15 at 6pm at The Waiariki National Centre of Excellence for the Forest and Wood Industry Building.

To pitch or to sponsor the event email rotoruax@gmail.com or go to www.facebook.com/rotoruax. Pitchers pay a $25 entry fee.