Food tycoon shares the success of his ‘secret sauce’ at the Custard Factory.
His pitch at Dragon’s Den was legendary as he sang his way to investment for his Reggae Reggae Sauce. Fast forward seven years and Levi Roots is an inspiration to entrepreneurs around the world with an estimated net worth of £35 million. He has teamed up with Entrepreneurial Spark® powered by NatWest to mark Global Entrepreneurship Week and he will be the headline act at the #PitchOff event at Birmingham’s iconic Custard Factory on 17th November.
#Pitchoff is a completely free event for any entrepreneur who wants to learn how to take their business to the next level. Levi Roots will talk about his amazing journey and share the challenges he faced and overcame to get to where he is today. There will also be an opportunity for entrepreneurs to question him. #PitchOff has been organised by Entrepreneurial Spark® powered by NatWest, the world’s largest free business accelerator which has just opened in Birmingham.
Levi Roots said; “I’m delighted to be in Birmingham to meet fellow entrepreneurs. It’s so difficult when you are starting out and not everybody will have the chance to appear on primetime television to pitch your business like I did. So to be able to access completely free business advice and support from Entrepreneurial Spark® powered by NatWest is an incredible thing and I would encourage anybody out there who has an idea or a dream to come and talk to these guys and see how they can help you.”
Professor Jim Duffy, CEO at Entrepreneurial Spark® said; “We are all really excited to have Levi Roots on board – he is an icon. Since we announced that we were opening our free business accelerator hub in Birmingham we have met some great people from the business community here so we are looking forward to meeting many more during Global Entrepreneurship Week. We’ve put on a packed agenda for the #PitchOff event that will offer inspiration as well as very practical help on how to grow your business.”
In a twist to how he started, Levi will be on the judging panel for #PitchOff where entrepreneurs will be pitching their idea in 60 seconds for the opportunity to win:
– a bespoke advertising campaign for their business, including the services of an advertising agency and the production and placement of advertising posters in up to 10 local RBS or NatWest branches
– a place in their nearest Entrepreneurial Spark® accelerator where they will receive free office space, IT support, mentoring and networking opportunities
– a one hour business review with Entrepreneurial Spark CEO Jim Duffy
Levi continues; “I know what it’s like to have an idea that you are so passionate about but convincing other people that it’s worthy of investment is really tough so I wish them the best of luck!”
Lee Currier, Entrepreneur Development Manager from NatWest added; “The event promises to be a great day. We know from our business customers that securing investment is one of the most daunting but fundamental parts of growing a business so we really hope that entrepreneurs will leave the day feeling informed and confident.”
In addition to a keynote speech from Levi Roots and the #PitchOff competition, the event will include a packed agenda of inspiring sessions on the topic of raising investment. Attending entrepreneurs will learn how to build an ‘A team’, hear from a funding panel and have the opportunity to speak to a host of entrepreneurs that have been through the business accelerator programme with Entrepreneurial Spark® and can share highs and lows from their own personal entrepreneurial journey. All of this is being provided free of charge, but tickets are limited so must be booked in advance.
