The #ESBpitchoff
As part of the global expedition, the final twelve were brought to Europe for their second module co-hosted by EDP Power in Portugal and ESB in Ireland Following a number of workshops and commercialisation exercises in Lisbon, the competition then found itself at the Gateway to Europe.
For the second part of the European module, ESB staged the first ever pitch off. Hosted by former journalist and start-up entrepreneur Mark Little in the Trinity College exam hall , the competition was staged in 2 rounds. Each of the pitches were selected at random with the start-ups facing off against one another. The winner was selected by the audience. Six start-ups progressed to the second round with one wildcard entry selected by the judges to have a second chance at the top prize.
The final seven then took a series of questions from an expert panel made up of three energy utility leaders and three investors. After a several rounds of tough questions and deliberations, the wild card, Aperio Systems became the first winner of the #ESBpitchoff.