Post by Ben Mushen

Name: It’s hard to back local startups to scale and grow if you don't even press play on their pitches. 🙃
Uploaded: 2026-06-05T20:49:41.444Z
Channel: Ben Mushen
Description: It’s hard to back local startups to scale and grow if you don't even press play on their pitches. 🙃 Huge congratulations to the 10 fantastic North East startups selected to head down to Leeds for Cl

Helping businesses find the relevant grants and support they need to scale 🚀 | Founder of the North East Support Directory 🌀 | Head of Innovation at the Foundation of Light 👨‍💻

It’s hard to back local startups to scale and grow if you don't even press play on their pitches. 🙃 Huge congratulations to the 10 fantastic North East startups selected to head down to Leeds for ClimbUK 26! I know a few of the founders personally, so know they are going to smash it representing the region. 🚀 A couple of months ago, The North East Combined Authority put out a public call inviting local startups to apply for this opportunity. As founders, we know time is our most valuable asset, but after being personally encouraged by someone in the NECA team to throw my hat into the ring, I spent a fair bit of time refining, practicing and cutting a 3-minute Loom video pitch to meet their criteria. But as tech founders, we also look at the data, so I’ve been keeping an eye on my Loom analytics. A while back, I noticed my video hadn’t been viewed so I sent a follow up email to make sure there wasn't a technical glitch, but never heard back. When the final cohort was published today, I'll admit it felt like a bit of a sucker punch to have heard nothing about my submission, and yet see the announcement of who made it. As you can see from the screenshot in my comments, the pitch has still never been watched - not even for a second. It's hard not receiving feedback, but not even being considered is an even bigger bummer. It’s really disheartening when public institutions posture about championing local startups and invite the ecosystem to spend their valuable time applying for a competition, and yet don't provide the basic courtesy of reviewing the applications that they ask for. Perhaps an AI platform autonomously matchmaking business funding is a little too close to home for the Growth Hub! 😂 Either way, a pitch left on the shelf is a waste of a good story. Since the selection panel didn't get around to seeing it, I’m opening it up to the real judges: the North East business community. I’d love to know your thoughts, feedback, or any critiques on how I can make it sharper! 👇 https://lnkd.in/e3kUcmAX #NorthEastStartups #Founders #Transparency #AI #Innovation #Climb26 #NorthEastBusiness

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