Pitch to Rich success for Boxhug founder Rubets

BIRMINGHAM entrepreneur Igor Rubets has won the Pitch to Rich 2014 Start Up Award after successfully pitching to Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson.

Rubets runs Handsworth-based Boxhug, a firm which delivers empty boxes for free and then stores the filled boxes safely and securely before returning them to a chosen destination.

The business – and Rubets’ 90 second pitch – caught the imagination of Branson and a panel of judges at the Virgin Media Pioneers event.

Rubets has won  a prize package of investment and mentoring following the pitch at the Branson family home in Oxfordshire.
 
The winners beat more than 400 other businesses to reach the final of the nationwide search for Britain’s best new entrepreneurs.

Apart from Branson, the judging panel of British consisted of Nick Jenkins, founder of Moonpig, Holly Tucker, co-founder of Not on the High Street, Peter Williams, co-founder of Jack Wills and Dina Toki-O, described as an up and coming digital influencer.
 
Rubets said: “The experience has changed my life. Two weeks ago I couldn’t hold a microphone and now I’ve pitched to Sir Richard.

“We are going to work even harder to build a brilliant business not just in the UK but across the world that will really help people.”
 
Branson said: “This year, Pitch to Rich has showcased even more innovative businesses and it has been wonderful to meet the bright minds behind these ideas.

“I’ve all sorts of stuff lying around which could really benefit from Boxhug’s storage service.”