Scottish entrepreneur through to semi-final for Branson’s Pitch to Rich competition

• Entrepreneur needs your support to reach final of search for Britain’s best start-up
• Virgin Media Pioneers competition winner to receive prize package worth £5,000
• Opportunity to pitch in front of Sir Richard Branson and prestigious panel

Local entrepreneur, Gavin Neate, from Roslin in Scotland, has been selected as a semi-finalist in Virgin Media Pioneers Pitch to Rich competition – a nationwide search to find the UK’s best start up – and needs your help to achieve his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of pitching his business to Sir Richard Branson and winning a unique prize package.

Gavin, 45, is one of just 10 innovative and aspiring entrepreneurs shortlisted from hundreds of entries from across the UK. Gavin, currently runs Neatebox Ltd, an automatic pedestrian crossing activation from a smart device for those with reduced mobility.

His pitch video is now part of a public, online vote on www.virginmediapioneers.com, which closes at midday on 23^rd April, to decide which businesses will win the chance to pitch to Sir Richard and a prestigious judging panel comprising the founders of Moonpig, Jack Wills, Not on The High Street as well as fashion Youtuber Dina Toki-O at the Branson family home in Oxfordshire on 13 May.

There two awards this year, the Start-up Award in partnership with Virgin StartUp for businesses in their first 12 months of trading, and the Innovation Award for successfully trading small technology businesses. The top three video pitches for each award will earn a place in the final.

Gavin, said: “I am thrilled to be selected as one of the semi-finalists for the Virgin Media Pioneers, Pitch to Rich competition. This is an unbelievable opportunity to pitch to one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs and I would really appreciate any help in trying to bring attention to this massive issue”.

Gavin has invented a smart phone initiated pedestrian crossing application which will press the pedestrian control button without the need for those with reduced mobility to hunt or stretch for the control box.  This will enable them to take up the correct position at the pavement edge prior to crossing and extend the time the person has to cross the road.

Sir Richard Branson, Pioneer-at-Large for Virgin Media Pioneers and founder of the Virgin Group said: “It is thrilling to see so many creative British entrepreneurs making the most of the technology at their fingertips to launch exciting startups. Each one of these semi-finalists has captured our imagination and we hope will inspire others to act on their own big ideas.”

Voting is now open and will close at midday on 23^rd April. To vote for Gavin Neate and help him get through to the next stage of the competition visit www.virginmediapioneers.com