The 8 Percent Pitch Competition

Maybe it’s because I’ve been in business for so long myself, but I find mature businesses fascinating, as well as startups. I love a business that's bootstrapped a level of success!

Funnily enough, speaking with some of my network and the sponsors for this event, they’re also really interested in these kinds of businesses – which is why we decided to create an event for the Women’s Leadership Festival, that’s entirely focused around not only startups, but also mature businesses who’ve bootstrapped to a particular level and are ready to scale.

So that’s why, at this year’s Women’s Leadership Festival, we’re presenting:

Whether you're a startup, or if you've been in business for a few years and are looking to scale - this competition is for you!

At The 8 Percent Pitch Competition, a group of female founders will get up on stage and pitch their businesses to a group of women investors for the opportunity to share in over $100,000 worth of prizes – plus the possibility of gaining investment on the spot!

You can score:

VIP tickets to the Women’s Leadership Festival
3 x Dell Technologies XPS laptops
Opportunity to speak on stage at a future DWEN event
12 months of mentoring
Media opportunities
Actual investment in your company!

That’s right! This isn’t just pitch and win to say you won – our judges are all investors in their own right and each finalist will have the opportunity to sit down with these FEMALE investors to discuss investment.

How the Competition Works

Step 1: Submit the application form here, before October 18. You will need to answer the written questions, and upload a video of 2 minutes or less, telling us your story and why you want to pitch.

Step 2: We’ll announce our finalists on October 20

Step 3: You’ll receive VIP tickets to the Women's Leadership Festival in Melbourne, 25th - 26th October, 2022. You'll need to be present at the event to be eligible for the competition.

Step 4: At the event, you'll get up live on stage to pitch your business to our judges

Step 5: Winners will be announced at the event!

Good luck, and I'll see you at the Festival!

Leela Cosgrove,
Founder, The 8 Percent

Name*
First Last
Email*
Phone*
Business Name*
Industry*
Year Business Was Established*
Annual Turnover*
Tell Us How You Started the Business!*
What Are the Main Challenges You've Overcome?*
What's Your Goal for the Next 5-10 Years?*
If You Received Investment, What Would You Use It For?*
What Challenges Lay Ahead When It Comes to Scaling?*
Upload Your Video
Tell us your story, and why you want to pitch! Maximum 2 minutes.
Alternative Video Link

You can link to your video here if the file upload is not working for you.
Please Confirm You Can Attend the Pitch Competition Live in Melbourne*
- I can attend

Tips for a Great Pitch

Top Tips to Win Your Pitch
from Matt Barrie, founder and CEO of Freelancer.com
and Jay Patel, founder and CEO of EDGE196™

It's all about the team.
Have you got the right team to help you succeed? No business gets anywhere alone so demonstrate the passion, commitment and expertise of your whole team.

Show us the money.
How are you acquiring your customers and what’s your revenue model? Are you making money yet? Be clear and concise about your pricing model, long term value of a customer and customer acquisition costs.

Prove your growth opportunities.
Do you have an ever expanding target market for your product or service? Never undersell yourself: your business plan should be both realistic and aggressive.

Demonstrate your value.
How are you changing or disrupting the world or your industry and why is what you’re doing better than what’s already out there. Give the answer to, ‘So, what?’ with everything you say rather than assuming your audience will create the link for you.

Practice your pitch. A thousand times.
Have you really practised enough? Take previous pitch feedback on board, ask anyone who will listen to give feedback and remember to prepare for questions.