The event, which makes up part of Venturefest, saw over 80 West Midlands businesses apply to pitch their growth plans to a select group of investors, entrepreneurs and innovators. Run by Aston University, in partnership with the University of Birmingham and the University of Warwick, the competition gave finalists an opportunity to showcase their businesses in order to gain investment and implement their ideas.

Delivering innovative and creative spaces for conferences and events, thestudio combines state-of-the-art facilities with a choice of flexible rooms to cater for a range of different users. Whether it’s a small meeting or corporate dinner, thestudio provides a simple approach for organising events with a difference.

Emma Jennings, director at thestudio, was one of four finalists in the Growth Businesses category thanks to on-going plans for development. She said: “Reaching the finals of Pitchfest is a great way to end another fantastic year of growth at thestudio. After recent expansion in Birmingham, Pitchfest provided an excellent opportunity to meet with several investors to talk through future plans for thestudio.”

With venues currently in both Birmingham and Manchester, as well as plans to expand to more cities across the UK, thestudio has just achieved its most successful year to date.