Pitch@Palace

What Pitch@Palace does

Pitch@Palace is a UK-based entrepreneurship accelerator and incubator founded in 2014 by The Duke of York. The organization operates a tiered event-driven model in which early-stage entrepreneurs apply to participate in regional "On Tour" events, progress through "Boot Camp" sessions, and ultimately compete at national or global finals held at prestige venues such as St James's Palace, Government House Western Australia, and Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi. The platform serves entrepreneurs from 64 countries across the UK, Australia, ASEAN, China, Korea, the UAE, Bahrain, the GCC, Africa, Canada, Hungary, and Vietnam, with an alumni network of 973+ entrepreneurs that has collectively generated over £1.1 billion in economic activity and created more than 6,000 jobs.

The technology layer supporting the programme consists of a web platform and the Pitch@Palace Mobile App, which enables event registration, entrepreneur profile management, alumni networking, and the People's Choice Award voting system. The platform's core products include the tiered event structure (On Tour → Boot Camp → National/Global Finals), the Alumni Network providing ongoing support and connections, the People's Choice Award public voting feature, and Pitch@Palace Global as the international arm of operations.

Pitch@Palace operates as a Community Interest Company (Pitch@Palace C.I.C., UK company number 09592001) for UK operations and a private limited company (Pitch@Palace Global Limited, UK company number 10622221) for international activities, both registered at Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA. The programme is free for entrepreneurs and generates no fees from participants. Revenue appears to derive from royal patronage and institutional support rather than commercial monetization of the entrepreneur base. The organization maintains 1-10 employees and operates with the administrative support of The Duke of York's Office.

Name

Pitch@Palace

Legal name

Pitch@Palace Global Limited

Website

https://pitchatpalace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pitch@Palace is a UK-based entrepreneurship accelerator founded in 2014 by The Duke of York that connects early-stage entrepreneurs with investors and mentors through tiered pitch competitions across 64 countries. The programme operates free for participants, is funded by royal patronage, and maintains a 973-member global alumni network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Founder/Entrepreneur & Family Business Executive Coaching (EDABANAM), Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Startup pitch competitions
• Entrepreneurship accelerator
• Investor networking events
• Startup mentorship programs
• Entrepreneur pitch platform

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Royal Patronage and Institutional Support: Pitch@Palace operates under the patronage of The Duke of York, with operations managed through Pitch@Palace Global Limited and Pitch@Palace C.I.C. The initiative appears to be funded through royal support and partnerships rather than direct revenue generation from entrepreneurs.
2. Event and Programme Operations: The organisation runs events across multiple countries (UK, Australia, ASEAN, China, UAE, Bahrain, Korea, Africa, Canada) connecting entrepreneurs with investors and mentors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pitch@Palace runs a tiered entrepreneur support programme featuring regional On Tour events, Boot Camps, national finals (UK) and global finals at prestigious venues such as St James's Palace, connecting early-stage entrepreneurs with investors, mentors and business contacts. Entrepreneurs apply and participate free of charge, gain access to a mobile app for networking and People's Choice Award voting, and become part of an alumni network spanning 973+ founders across 62+ countries that has generated over £1.1 billion in economic activity and 6,000+ jobs.

Product overview

Pitch@Palace is an entrepreneur support ecosystem founded by The Duke of York in 2014 to amplify and accelerate startup businesses. The platform operates through a tiered structure: regional On Tour Events and preliminary competitions (GCC, ASEAN, Australia, China, Korea, UAE, Bahrain) feed into national UK events (Pitch@Palace 12.0), which then connect to the global Pitch@Palace Global events. The ecosystem centers on a mobile App for networking and voting, the People's Choice Award for public voting, and an Alumni Network of 973+ entrepreneurs across 62+ countries. Entrepreneurs receive mentoring, pitch to invited audiences of investors and mentors, and gain ongoing support through the network. The platform has facilitated over £1.1 billion in economic activity and created approximately 6,000 jobs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pitch@Palace People's Choice Award: A public voting initiative that allows people to discover and vote for leading Entrepreneurs across various Tech industries.

Products and services

• Pitch@Palace Platform The core Pitch@Palace platform and ecosystem that connects early-stage entrepreneurs with investors, mentors and business contacts through a structured programme of regional, national and global pitch competitions. Free for entrepreneurs to apply and participate.
• Pitch@Palace Mobile App Mobile application used by event attendees to view entrepreneur profiles, network with participants, and vote for their favourite entrepreneurs via the People's Choice Award voting system during live pitch events.
• Pitch@Palace Alumni Network Ongoing global community of 973+ entrepreneur alumni from 62+ countries who have participated in Pitch@Palace events, providing continued access to mentors, advisers, distribution systems, and investment opportunities.
• Pitch@Palace Global International arm of Pitch@Palace that connects entrepreneurs from 64 countries globally, bringing together winners and participants from regional events for global pitching opportunities at St James's Palace and other prestigious venues.
• Pitch@Palace On Tour Events Regional preliminary events held in multiple cities and countries where entrepreneurs practice pitches, receive mentoring, and are selected to advance to national or global finals. Held across the UK, GCC, ASEAN, Australia, China, Korea, Africa, Canada and other regions.

Quantifiable outcome

• £1.1+ Billion in economic activity generated by alumni businesses
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and flagship.

• The Duke of York's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Duke of York's Office provides administrative support for Pitch@Palace initiatives and activities. Staff at The Duke of York's Office assist in the administration of Pitch@Palace initiatives and activities, including the organisation of events at venues like St James's Palace.
• Imperial College LondonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPitch@Palace 12.0 Boot Camp was hosted at Imperial College London on 14 October 2019. Imperial College provides venue and potentially academic support for the entrepreneurship programme.
• The University of SurreyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPitch@Palace 12.0 On Tour Surrey took place at The University of Surrey on 23 September 2019.
• The University of South WalesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPitch@Palace 12.0 On Tour Newport took place at The University of South Wales on 24 September 2019.
• Murdoch UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPitch@Palace Australia 3.0 Boot Camp was held at Murdoch University, Perth on 2 October 2019. 42 Entrepreneurs selected from five On Tour Events took part.
• Government House Western AustraliamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPitch@Palace Australia 3.0 took place at Government House in Perth, Western Australia on 4 October 2019. This is a prestigious venue hosting the regional event.
• St James's PalaceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt James's Palace hosts the UK national finals (Pitch@Palace 11.0, 12.0) and global finals (Pitch@Palace Global 3.0, 4.0). This is the premier venue for Pitch@Palace events.
• Khalifa Innovation CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPitch@Palace UAE 3.0 Boot Camp took place at the Khalifa Innovation Centre in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on 6-7 October 2019.
• Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn April 2018, a special edition of Pitch@Palace Commonwealth was held as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London, involving 41 Entrepreneurs from 36 countries across the Commonwealth.
• Selecters, Judges, Mentors and PartnersmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe programme involves selectors, judges, mentors and partners who need to see entrepreneur information for the purposes of selecting or judging events, votes or competitions. These include CEOs, Influencers, Angels, Mentors and potential Business Partners.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seedstars:
• Startupbootcamp: Startupbootcamp runs industry-specific accelerator programmes across multiple continents with demo-day pitch formats. Comparable to Pitch@Palace in operating a multi-region event-driven accelerator model, with verticals including FinTech, HealthTech, and Smart Cities similar to Pitch@Palace's themed events.
• Entrepreneur First: Entrepreneur First is a London-based talent-investor that builds companies from scratch through cohort programmes with pitch-driven progression. Comparable to Pitch@Palace UK as a London-based founder-development platform with investor-facing pitch events and a structured funnel for early-stage talent.
• Antler: Antler is a global early-stage accelerator with strong presence in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, running cohort-based programmes with demo days. Comparable to Pitch@Palace Global's regional event structure across emerging markets and its focus on founder-investor connection without requiring application fees.
• Seedcamp: Seedcamp is a London-based early-stage investor and accelerator running programmes that culminate in demo-day pitch events. Comparable to Pitch@Palace UK as a UK-headquartered founder-support platform with investor access and an alumni network, though Seedcamp takes equity stakes.
• MassChallenge: MassChallenge is a global, zero-equity accelerator running cohort-based programmes with finals pitch events. Highly comparable to Pitch@Palace as a non-equity-taking, competition-driven accelerator with global regional footprint (UK, US, Switzerland, Mexico, etc.) and a focus on founder outcomes rather than capital deployment.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Techstars runs a global network of mentorship-driven accelerator programmes culminating in demo days for investor exposure. Directly comparable to Pitch@Palace in offering structured pitch events connecting founders with investors and mentors, but with explicit equity investment and a much larger operational footprint.
• Y Combinator: Y Combinator is the world's most prominent startup accelerator, offering seed funding, mentorship, and demo day exposure to early-stage founders. It is broadly comparable to Pitch@Palace as a pitch-competition and accelerator for early-stage entrepreneurs, but operates at much larger scale and with direct equity investment rather than royal-patronage-driven exposure.
• Microsoft for Startups: Microsoft for Startups is a corporate accelerator offering credits, mentorship, and investor access to early-stage founders globally. Comparable to Pitch@Palace as a brand-credibility-driven founder support platform with international reach, though backed by a tech giant rather than royal patronage.

Regional players

• StartupGEN: StartupGEN and similar regional pitch-competition organisers in MENA run entrepreneur pitch events in the GCC region. Comparable to Pitch@Palace UAE/GCC/Bahrain events as regional pitch-competition operators serving the same Gulf startup ecosystem with investor and mentor access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPzevAXIsEZAJDZcRNFy-zw
• Facebookfacebook.com/pitchatpalace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pitch-palace
• Instagraminstagram.com/pitchatpalace
• Xx.com/pitchatpalace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments401 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pitch@Palace