Second annual clean tech showcase event aims to bring together technology innovators and green investors
BusinessGreen is today officially launching its second annual BusinessGreen Technology and Investment Forum, offering clean tech and suatainability start-ups, green entrepreneurs, and top investors the chance to jointly explore investment opportunities in the UK's vibrant green technology sector.
Hosted in association with Innovate UK, Clean + Cool, and BusinessGreen's sister title Investment Week, the event will feature a keynote address from a leading clean tech investor and a series of rapid fire four minute presentations from up to 20 of the UK's most exciting investment stage clean tech firms.
The forum will be staged at BusinessGreen's offices in central London on the morning of Wednesday October 4th, and in addition to a series of presentations will allow investors and entrepreneurs to meet through a number of structured networking sessions.
Spaces for the Forum are limited, and BusinessGreen is today calling on clean tech and sustainability companies and investors to register their interest in attending the invite-only event.
The event is designed to support clean tech companies or developers that are either actively seeking investment or approaching an investment-ready stage in their development. Each of the attending firms will get the opportunity to deliver a four minute presentation on their technology and business to an audience of their peers and investors.
"Last year's forum was a huge success with many of the presenting clean tech and sustainability companies going on to meet and build relationships with the investors in attendance," said BusinessGreen editor-in-chief James Murray. "As the green economy matures it is more important than ever that investors and entrepreneurs are able to connect and secure the financial backing needed to deploy green innovations at scale. The aim of the forum is to help make these connections happen."
Ahead of the forum, Clean + Cool, the entrepreneurs' mission that for the past five years has helped successfully promote UK clean tech firms overseas, will stage a pitching master class to help interested parties prepare their presentation.
"Having just run the Clean + Cool Mission 2017 to San Francisco and Silicon Valley, we saw first-hand what a vital role events such as this play in their innovation ecosystem," said Guy Pattison, co-founder of Clean + Cool. "The BusinessGreen Technology and Investment Forum is a key date in the calendar, not only because it gives clean tech SMEs a chance to pitch for investment, but also because it helps the flow of connections and ideas between investors and entrepreneurs that is vital to creating a strong clean tech community in the UK."
Clean tech firms have until August 21st at 5pm to register their interest in attending the Forum by filling in a short expression of interest form providing information on their organisation and detailing their current stage of investment readiness. Successful applicants will then be notified in early-September with clean tech firms invited to begin work on their pitch presentations.
Investors can register their interest in attending at any time. However, places are strictly limited so please register early to avoid disappointment.
Christian Inglis, senior innovation lead at Innovate UK, said the forum was designed to help companies accelerate the next stage of their development.
"Our role at Innovate UK is to help clean and sustainable technology companies grow and scale to become world leaders," he said. "This event allows them to do that by catalysing meaningful connections to the investment community that would not otherwise happen.
"We see time and again that when entrepreneurs know how to sell themselves as well as their business innovations, the connections they make become that more fruitful. The BusinessGreen Technology and Investment Forum provides a great platform for those companies to gain the tools they need to do just that."
Mike Edwards of Meteor Power, which pitched at last year's forum, said it was a "great event with the right balance of green entrepreneurs and potential investors" as well as "excellent pre-event training".
His comments were echoed by Diane Gilpin of the Smart Green Shipping Alliance, who said the forum had been an invaluable experience. "The pitches on the day were both nerve-wracking and thrilling," she said. "The discipline learned through participation has shaped and enhanced my confidence and pitching ability, and the message we're delivering now is much clearer and concise. We met and built good relationships with investors as a direct result of the event."
To register your interest in attending the BusinessGreen Technology and Investment Forum please visit our new event website.
