TIKTOK Challenges Entrepreneurs to Join World-First Elevator Pitch

Ugo Aliogo

TikTok in partnership with the Gritti Fund has launched the innovative pitch up in the Sky – the world’s first elevator pitching event of its kind.

In a statement issued by TikTok said pitch up in the sky is the ultimate elevator pitch for daring entrepreneurs who can overcome their fears and stay cool under pressure.

The statement said the funding initiative would provide African entrepreneurs with the opportunity to compete for a $10,000 investment and one-year mentorship from The Gritti Fund.

It also noted that the three finalists would be awarded the once in a lifetime chance to skydive in Dubai, while simultaneously completing their winning elevator pitches.

The statement further explained that an expert panel would judge entries and give exclusive personal interviews throughout the event about the challenges that lead to their success.

The statement hinted that the event would feature world-famous entrepreneurs and venture capitalists such as Founding Executive of Netflix – Mitch Lowe; first investor in Zoom – Bill Tai; and inventor of Google Maps – Lars Rasmussen.

The statement added that the spectacular finale on 17 October aims to be the most live-streamed start-up pitch event in history, “and would enable millions of TikTok viewers to discover who has what it takes to reach the top.”

The statement further hinted that the event is “Now open to all founders of early-stage start-ups in Africa and the Middle East until 24 September 2020, entrepreneurs can apply to www.pitchupinthesky.com by submitting an innovative one-minute TikTok video pitch that will inform and impress the global panel of expert judges, using the platform’s easy-to-use video editing tools and tagging #PitchUpInTheSky.”

The TikTok Content Operations Manager, Africa, Boniswa Sidwaba, affirmed that it has always been TikTok’s mission to inspire creativity and bring joy to its users and the launch of such a unique event is testament to that.

“Through this event, we aim to support our local community of budding entrepreneurs by providing them with the opportunity to creatively express their ideas with the possibility that those ideas may materialise,” he noted.

On his part, the Founder of The Gritti Fund, Marcel Muenster, espoused that the partnership with TikTok not only provides locals with access to a network of experienced entrepreneurs, but also a global platform on which they can share their ideas.

“Growing your network is one thing, but TikTok does something more valuable – it gives entrepreneurs an unprecedented amount of visibility which is crucial at an early stage of the company building process,” Muenster maintained.

The statement added that as part of the initiative, local TikTok users would be able to view the pitches tagged #PitchUpInTheSky as well as interviews with the judging panel of world-famous entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, giving entrants and TikTok users insight on their personal challenges and successes.