The City of London Corporation have been working really hard to support the development of Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) as part of our pandemic recovery plan.
Did you know that SMEs make up 98% of all businesses in London – all of which span different sectors and cover a range of business sizes from pre‑start, start‑up, micro, small and medium, as well as freelancers. In fact, of 5.5 million businesses in the UK, fewer than 10,000 fall outside the SME definition. In other words, there are fewer than 10,000 large businesses based the UK, but many of those are also based in the City of London.
Supporting SMEs to scale-up is in the economic interest of the City of London and, as a major convening authority, we have been considering issues around access to funding for early stage SMEs to grow their ambitions.
On 20th February 2025, small businesses are being given a chance at pitching to a live audience at Guildhall. Indie Love Gordon and the 40% Club will be hosting a pitching competition during the Business Showcase and Networking part of the event.
Indie Gordon is an experience entrepreneur and an angel investor for early stage businesses, with a wide range of connections in the industry. We’re collaborating with her to give entrepreneurs attending the conference a chance to practice their pitching skills, get valuable feedback, and win prizes – including, but not limited to, £500 vouchers, 3 months free Canva Premium access, and 1 month of complimentary business mentoring. This is a great opportunity for anyone starting out on their pitching journey to practice in a low-stakes environment and learn how to improve!
Get your ticket for the conference to receive more information about how to sign up here.