Entrepreneurs pitch businesses at Bank of England HQ

Five entrepreneurs from Yorkshire formed part of a delegation of 30 business people from across the North to pitch to major investors in London this week.

The event, organised by the North East Innovation SuperNetwork and supported by UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA) and British Business Bank, offered Northern companies the opportunity to travel to London and meet investors who were proactively looking to expand their portfolios.

More than 80 investors attended the event at the Bank of England’s London headquarters.

The Yorkshire businesses, which are based across Leeds and Sheffield, covered a variety of sectors and sizes, including a games distribution platform, kitchen, garden and homeware retailer, mobile dating app, power systems, and crime reporting and management software.

 The companies that attended the session were Game Sessions in Sheffield, IC Innovations in Sheffield, Jig Talk in Leeds, Libertine in Sheffield and SentrySIS in  Leeds.

Chris Nriapia, Marketing Director at Leeds-based SentrySIS, who pitched at the event, said: “We’ve already seen great success working with Durham Police Constabulary and the business community across the North East and Yorkshire regions of the UK to roll-out our secure cloud software – a more efficient way of processing criminal information. Entrepreneurs of the North has provided an invaluable opportunity for us to tell that story to active investors who we wouldn’t have had the chance to meet with otherwise.

“Attending the event has opened up valuable business connections, which we hope will lead to the funding we’re seeking to roll out our already successful business model across the UK.”

Lea Paterson, the Bank of England’s Director of Independent Evaluation, who introduced the event, said: “The Bank of England has 12 regional agencies, and we regularly get out and talk to businesses on the ground to understand what’s really going on around the country.”

“Understanding more about the barriers to growth, and about access to growth capital, is one of the areas where we are keen to learn more. Events like yesterday’s are central to supporting businesses and investors in building vital connections between one another – and ultimately helping to deliver the productivity improvements that are so critical for the UK economy. The Bank of England is really pleased to have been able to play a small role by hosting the event and wishes the businesses and investors who took part every success.”