Three London-based startups have won funding after pitching their ventures to a panel of business leaders in Deliveroo’s annual Big Pitch event.
The winners were Hudjo, an app to tackle bike theft; Deaf Animation World (pictured main image, right), educational resources to support inclusive learning; and Riches Tailoring, a bespoke African menswear business (pictured main image, left).
The Big Pitch is a dedicated event organised by Deliveroo exclusively for its riders who have also founded their own businesses, giving them the opportunity to pitch for an equity-free grant.
The latest competition attracted more than 2,000 rider applicants. Each participant received support and training through Lynx Educate, a Deliveroo partner which provides riders with free access to more than 1,500 courses.
Deliveroo also teamed up with Maynard Leigh Associates.
The judging panel included Deliveroo’s co-founder and CEO Will Shu; Jessica Markowski, its regional director for London; Joseph Sutton, group convenience, online and wholesale director at Morrisons; and Catherine Dodd, a previous winner of the Big Pitch and founder of Catherine’s Originals, a vegan chocolate company.
“At Deliveroo we’re committed to supporting entrepreneurialism and empowering riders to innovate – that’s why we started the Big Pitch,” said Camilla Kater, SVP of care and rider at Deliveroo.
“Hudjo, Deaf Animation World and Riches Tailoring all embody that spirit with their inspiring ventures – providing innovative business solutions to everyday issues in London and beyond.”
Originally founded in Loughborough but primarily operating in London, Hudjo (below) was created by former Deliveroo rider Charlie FitzRoy, along with David Gamble and Demezhan Marikov. Described as the ‘Airbnb for bike parking’, Hudjo connects cyclists with businesses offering secure parking in urban areas across the UK.
With around 20,000 bikes stolen in London each year, Hudjo aims to combat bike theft after two of its co-founders fell victim to the crime when they were riders for Deliveroo.
In the space of a year, the startup has gained 42 partnerships with local businesses and has nearly 1,000 cyclists on its platform.
FitzRoy said: “After hearing, and experiencing firsthand, so many cyclists become victims of bike theft in London and beyond, we set ourselves a mission to make bike parking more secure and transform how people travel around their local areas.
“Two years later, we’ve been able to make this a reality – and our success from Deliveroo’s Big Pitch has been essential.”
Fulham-based Deaf Animation World, founded by husband-and-wife rider duo Mohammad and Safoura Mashayekhi, produces educational animations integrating British Sign Language (BSL) to bridge communication gaps between deaf and hearing people.
Peaches Osibamowo is the founder of Riches Tailoring, which specialises in bespoke African menswear.
Inspired by her struggles to source reliable tailors and fabrics for traditional Nigerian wedding attire in the UK, the business was created to serve the growing demand for high-quality cultural attire.
iplicit aims for unicorn status after first institutional funding