TikTok and Gritti Fund partner to take startups to new heights with #PitchUpInTheSky challenge
TikTok, the short-form mobile video has partnered with the Gritti Fund to launch the ultimate elevator pitch for daring entrepreneurs who can stay cool under pressure, #PitchUpInTheSky.
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Starting from September 15th the world’s first #PitchUpInTheSky is inviting budding entrepreneurs from the Middle East, Europe, and Africa to create an innovative business pitch through a 60 second video on TikTok, with a mission to inspire creativity and bring joy, using the hashtag #PitchUpInTheSky to impress a global panel of expert judges and make it through to the finals.
Three successful finalists will be invited to Dubai and have the chance to pitch their startup idea during their rapid ascent from the city’s famous Skydiving centre, Dubai Skydive. The finalists will pitch their project from the sky with a breathtaking view of the city in a bid to land a USD 10,000 investment, along with Lark Suite Pro access and mentorship from The Gritti Fund.
Commenting on the event, Shant Oknayan, General Manager of Global Business Solutions for Byte Dance across the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) said: “We are very excited to be hosting the world’s first #PitchUpinTheSky for aspiring entrepreneurs in partnership with The Gritti Fund and look forward to seeing the videos and ideas submitted on TikTok by tapping into our innovative tools to create authentic, creative content unique to the app.”
He added: “We look forward to continuing to support a community of entrepreneurs by enabling and celebrating creativity and helping these budding entrepreneurs achieve their dreams and overcome their fears, especially during these challenging times.”
The expert panel will judge entries and give exclusive personal interviews throughout the event about the challenges that lead to their success. It will feature world-famous entrepreneurs and venture capitalists including Marcel Muenster, founder of The Gritti Fund, Bill Tai, the first investor in Zoom, Lars Rasmussen, inventor of Google maps, Roberto Croci, Regional Managing Director of Microsoft for Startups Noor Sweid, one of Forbes top 50 Women in Tech and Mitch Lowe, Co-Founder of Netflix.
During the event, TikTok users will be able to see the pitches tagged #PitchUpInTheSky as well as personal interviews with world-famous entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. The finale is aimed to take place on October 17th, which will enable millions of TikTok viewers to discover who has what it takes to reach the top.
Pakistani startups saw $18M invested in H1 2020, with the overall number of deals increasing by 13% to 17 deals from H1 2019, illustrating the potential of Pakistan to become the next big South Asian entrepreneurial hotspot. Discover more trends in our H1 2020 Pakistan Venture Investment Report.