Searching for Startups in Sussex

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Pitch for up to £10,000 Capital

Gain invaluable mentoring &

SHOW US YOUR ROAR! JULY 24TH

The Tiger’s Pen is an opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to present their business ideas to experienced investors.

The Tiger’s Pen is Sussex’s go-to startup investment portal, designed to connect ambitious entrepreneurs with investors who are ready to fuel innovation. Whether you’re launching a tech-driven venture or a creative startup, The Tiger’s Pen offers a platform where you can pitch your ideas and secure the funding and mentorship you need to grow.

The Pen is designed for start-ups looking for investment. This opportunity is for incredible energetic entrepreneurs to take the reins of their business.

Any business deal agreed with The Tiger’s Pen is an unwritten agreement that depends on due diligence checks, and relies on the integrity of both investor and the start-up to freely enter the transaction and be fully committed to seeing it through. However, the deal is solely between the Tiger and the entrepreneur and after additional meetings, if an agreement cannot be reached, neither party is legally obliged to complete the deal.

Our latest annual event was on Thursday July 24th from 10:00am – 4:00pm 2025.

The Tiger’s Pen entry is FREE if you do not require any pitch deck training, if however you need a half a day of how to pitch, then this is £375+VAT per entrant.

We offer a half day of training at our offices in Hove where we explain the process of the pitch deck, how to handle questions from investors, and evaluate you to get you ready to pitch.

Your pitch deck training will take place four weeks before the main Show. So that you have ample time to prepare, and practice on your pitch for the main event showcase.

The Tiger’s Pen has two main events a year, one for startups to pitch for up to £10,000 capital, mentoring and access to further prizes, and the end of year event at the University of Brighton as a new partnership, business leaders will join Sonny Cutting, creator of The Tiger’s Pen with its collective hub of wisdom and wealth of experience, offering advice and a critical eye for the next generation of entrepreneurs at the University of Brighton, the first ever event in 2019 which was the first student-focused Tiger’s Pen and has become a regular showcase.

The student event offers up to £250 for the Winning Pitch and 2 student groups are given access to the brand new Cripps training service:

The Power Up: Legal Academy which offers an amazing prize.

The programme consists of 4 modules:

Module 1 – Solid foundations & Smart growth.

Over 3 sessions, the cohort will discuss:

– Legal Structures which provide for scale

– Protecting your Ideas; IP, data and AI

– Essential Commercial Contracts

Module 2 then covers People, Performance and Compliance

This module will be led by an Employment lawyer and will consist of two sessions:

Employing for Growth: HR & Employment Law Essentials

Planning for Growth.

Module 3 – deals with Funding your future and looks at being investment ready.

Module 4 – rounds out with Advanced growth through mergers, acquisitions and planning for an exit.

Aiden Dunning and the panel investors at the student event will decide who wins.

Entrepreneur FAQ

Presentation Training

Your first instinct when you think about your company is probably to talk about your product or service – what makes it special, and how it is going to revolutionise the world. When talking to investors, however, it’s not about the product, it’s about how you are going to make money!

Handling Questions

When presenting your investment proposition try to think conservatively about the value of your company, it’s growth potential and the timeline to achieve this. Making a company successful is as much about the individuals driving the company as it is about having a great product and sufficient cashflow.

Pitching Support

Before you get into the details of your pitch, grab your audience’s attention with a summary of what you do and what you are looking for. This should be less than a minute long. Adapt and learn this and you can also use it as an “elevator pitch” to introduce your value proposition when meeting with investors for the frst time.