An opportunity to pitch new business innovation ideas

Have you been sitting on a new business innovation idea for a while and looking for some input to progress this?

Gain some valuable constructive feedback on your concept, find some collaborative partners to develop you idea and expand your knowledge and expertise with free R&D support from your local universities.

We have £5,000 vouchers of R&D support from the University of Brighton or Sussex to give away to the successful pitchers – your peers will cast their votes and decide whose idea is the best.

“There’s no good idea that cannot be improved on.”- Michael Eisner

How will it work?

Up to 4 local businesses will get the opportunity to have 5 mins – 300 seconds (on the clock!) to share what their innovation idea is with a lovely room of HHBA members and the RISE Innovation Advisors – this should include a short intro of who you are , what your business does and how this new idea will help your business to grow OR if it is a totally new idea how you plan for the new business to develop this idea. Don’t share any commercially sensitive details or Intellectual property just enough to get us to understand your idea.

Members of HHBA will have £5,000 vouchers to invest (sorry this will be monopoly money only!!) on the night and the best backed ideas will have the opportunity to work with RISE to access up to £5,000 of R&D academic expertise needed to develop to the next stage. This could be market research, feasibility, prototyping, technology road-mapping, user testing or more proof of concept support.

Members interested in pitching will need to send a brief summary of their pitch to Sue Llewellyn at admin@hhba.co.uk by 15 June 2022.

New innovation ideas do not need to be new products, they could be a new or improved service ideas, a new process or way of enhancing operations in your business or perhaps looking at a new business model. Innovation to us is about doing something new which will create value for your business.
The RISE team will also share information on further support available from the RISE project and there will be an opportunity to network with member over some lovely refreshments.

Don’t have an idea? Don’t worry come along and be the friendliest ‘dragon’ audience and support your fellow members.

“If you look at history, innovation doesn’t come just from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect.”-Steven Johnson

Admission: Free for HHBA members and first time guests

*This is a ticket only event, please book as a HHBA member or non member if you are a first time guest, membership is required to attend further events. If you are unable to attend please cancel your ticket as spaces are limited.

We will distribute the attendance list prior to the meeting.