The SJL Foundation has launched a new initiative to give 8 finalists a wonderful business opportunity to pitch their new business start-up idea to a panel of 4 people in the House of Commons.

Businesses can be up to one-year-old startups.

People from all walks of life may enter to be in with a chance of winning a free grant of £2,000, to get mentored by staff at SJL, and to get one hour with successful insurance entrepreneur Simon Lancaster.

I established SJL Insurance 18 years ago with a Worcestershire council grant of £250 plus a grant from the Hereford & Worcester Chambers of Commerce for £250. The £500 helped me buy a desk and computer. So I wanted the story to go full circle and help others do the same. – Simon Lancaster, Trustee, SJL Foundation

Eight finalists will present their five-minute pitch to the panel in front of an audience of 100 guests in the prestigious House of Commons as to why they should win a grant.

All eight finalists are in with a chance of winning a £2,000 grant each if their pitch at the House of Commons is good enough, or the judges may decide on fewer winners.

The SJL Foundation aims to give 45% of all proceeds to the business start-up fund, of which it hopes to put at least £45,000 towards that in year one.

To Enter

To enter the competition, entrants need to email foundation@sjlins.co.uk to ask for an application form.

The form will be emailed to entrants and applicants will have to answer questions on the form.

Each competition entrant must also submit a three-minute video of themselves saying what their business activity does, and how they’d spend the £2,000 grant and how they’d benefit from mentorship.

The closing date for entries is the 30th of September 2019.

Full details are available here.

All applicants must be available to travel to London on the 21st of October 2019 and stay overnight, if travel the night before is required due to an early start the next morning, ready to be at the event in the House of Commons on Tuesday 22 October between 0830am-1030am, if they are chosen as a successful finalist.

There will be four judges on the panel consisting of Simon Lancaster, Trustee of the SJL Foundation, founder and CEO of SJL Insurance – one of the UK’s largest owner-owned insurance brokers registered with Lloyds of London, Kerry Hopkins, a public relations director who has PR’d some of the largest corporations in the world and is now the managing director of public relations agency Baron & Hopkins and the other two judges will be announced in due course.

About the SJL Foundation

The SJL Foundation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) which was approved by the Charity Commission in June 2019 and has registered charity number 1183875.

For more information on our other fundraising activities throughout the year and to buy tickets to our charity events, please visit https://www.sjlins.co.uk/foundation/