24/10/2025
What. A. Night. 💥
These founders didn’t just pitch — they performed.
No slides. No props. Just powerful storytelling that connected hearts, minds, and investors.
Over the past few days, I’ve had the privilege of coaching the finalists of Pitch Black, helping them strip away the jargon and focus on what really matters — their story.
And wow, did they deliver. 👏
🏆 Pre-Seed Winner: IceCap Systems .systems
Thomas came into training speaking technical. He left telling a story that lit up the room — a TED Talk in the making. His transformation was remarkable, and his delivery, combined with a brilliant idea, blew the judges away.
💛 Runner-up & Audience Award: Lemons in the Room
A crowd favourite with heart and purpose. This Firenze-based team is one to watch — making a meaningful impact in the health space and winning the audience over completely.
🧠 Seed Winner: Braintrip
Revolutionising the way we diagnose dementia and brain disease — fast, accessible, and life-changing innovation for the aging population. Their work will touch millions.
🚀 Seed Runner-up: Edumentors .co.uk
A founder who took a risk to move from rehearsed to real — telling a story that ignited imagination and emotion. A brilliant performance and a bold move that paid off.
🐉 Welsh Dragons – SoMe
Two powerhouse sisters, launching their app in just two weeks and proving what it means to scale with fire. They came, they pitched, they owned the stage.
The judges had their work cut out — the deliberation was intense because every founder brought it. They captured hearts, minds, and yes… investor attention.
All of these founders are ones to watch — they deserve every bit of recognition tonight.
I couldn’t be prouder of how they embraced the challenge to stand up, speak their truth, and tell the story that matters most. 🌟
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