40 businesses one step closer to £1m prize fund after setting Guinness World Record

• Virgin Media Business’ announces the 40 businesses who will go through to the next round of the ‘VOOM 2016’ entrepreneur competition

Virgin Media Business has revealed the top 40 businesses that are edging closer to the £1million prize fund as part of the UK and Ireland’s biggest and most valuable pitching competition – ‘VOOM 2016’.

The top 40 were selected after 160 businesses pitched back-to-back to a panel of judges over the course of a gruelling 29 hour period, setting a new Guinness World Records title for the Longest business pitch marathon.

The 40 businesses are from across the UK and Ireland and include a brewery, plastic road solution, folding scooter and frozen smoothie kits. Businesses were selected based on their ability to solve a problem, competitive advantage, potential to shake up the market and profitability. 

Peter Kelly, Managing Director of Virgin Media Business said: “It was extremely tough to select just 40 businesses – the calibre and variety of all the pitches we heard was of a very high standard and gives us great confidence in the future of UK entrepreneurship. The adventure continues for a small number and I can’t wait to see who’s pitching to Richard and I on 28 June.”

The top 40 businesses will participate in competitive workshops on the 13th and 14th of June, where they will be put them through their paces to determine the feasibility, scalability and likelihood of success. The six businesses with the greatest potential will then be selected to pitch in the live finale in front of Richard Branson and his panel of expert judges; Tyra Banks, Sara Blakely, Marcus Butler and Peter Kelly.

‘VOOM 2016’ – run by the ultrafast business broadband company – is hunting for the UK and Ireland’s most exciting and innovative businesses. A winner will be chosen from each of the two categories, ‘Start-up’ and ‘Grow’.

All businesses that entered the competition this year are still eligible for the People’s Choice Award. The business that secures the most public votes by June 24 will win £10,000 which will be presented on stage at the live finale.

ENDS

The top 40 businesses can be found on vmbvoom.com

About Virgin Media

Virgin Media offers four multi award-winning services across the UK and Ireland: broadband, TV, mobile phone and landline.

The company’s dedicated, ultrafast network delivers the fastest widely available broadband speeds to homes and businesses. We’re expanding this through our £3bn Project Lightning programme, which will reach 17 million premises by the end of 2019.

Our interactive TV service brings live programmes, thousands of hours of on-demand programming and the best apps and games in a set-top box, as well as on-the-go for tablets and smartphones.

We launched the world’s first virtual mobile network, offering fantastic value and services. We are also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the UK and Ireland.

Through Virgin Media Business, we support entrepreneurs, businesses and the public sector, delivering the fastest speeds and tailor-made services.

Virgin Media is part of Liberty Global, the world’s largest international cable company, with operations in more than 30 countries.