Engen Pitch & Polish returns after year-long hiatus

The Engen Pitch & Polish competition, in which entrepreneurs battle it out for prizes up to R1-million is back after a year-long hiatus.

The  re-launch of the programme was announced on 14 May and the 2021 edition of the programme will take place digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The competition aims to help businesses secure funding and investment

The competition aims to help businesses secure funding and investment and will achieve this by assisting them in improving pitches and providing a platform to promote themselves.

The competition is split across seven weeks with 30-minute live stream sessions taking place twice a week.

Out of all the applicants, 16 will pitch against one another in the sessions. At the same time, they will participate in the Raizcorp learning programme to refine their pitches and receive guidance from mentors.

This year’s judging panel includes Allon Raiz, Zeeshaan Abbas, Nkosincane Sithebe, Bongiwe Bako, Allan Shannon, and Grace Govender.

The pitches will continue until only two contestants remain. After which, the winner will be selected.

The winner will win prizes to the value of R1-million. The prizes include a cash prize of R650 000 paid out over two years as the winning business achieves its milestones laid out in the pitch. It also includes a R350 000 bursary for a full two-year Raizcorp incubation programme.

The runner-up contestant will receive a cash prize of R100 000. The second runner-up will get R50 000.

How to enter the Engen Pitch & Polish competition

Businesses and entrepreneurs interested in participating in the competition can register on the Engen Pitch & Polish website.

The sessions will broadcast on the website from 15 June from 7pm to 7.30pm every Tuesday and Thursday. Sessions can also be viewed on Youtube.

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Feature image: Supplied