Calling all fearless founders: What The Pitch 2025 can do for your business

This article is part of our series supporting The Pitch 2025, an IMAGE and Samsung partnership, searching for the next generation of fearless founders and brave start-ups. Think you’ve got what it takes? Apply today at image.ie/the-pitch-2025.

Are you an Irish founder with a bold idea and big ambitions? Are you navigating the daily juggle of scaling your business, craving exposure, and seeking guidance from those who’ve done it before? Then The Pitch is exactly what you need to make your ambitions a reality.

The Pitch is a competition designed to address what Irish founders need most — cutting-edge technology, meaningful exposure and the kind of expert mentorship that builds lasting momentum. For start-ups and SMEs working hard to break through barriers — whether that’s limited access to tech, brand visibility or sector-specific guidance — The Pitch offers a game-changing opportunity to step up and be seen.

Back for its fourth year, The Pitch, powered by Samsung and brought to you by IMAGE, is once again on the hunt for Ireland’s most fearless founders. It’s a rare opportunity to win a prize and mentoring package worth up to €150,000 that can truly accelerate your business and place you in a community of like-minded trailblazers (more on that below).

Last year’s winner, Platform55, impressed judges with their mission, clarity and confidence. Winning, they said, changed everything, right down to the tech they were using day-to-day. “As a bootstrapped start-up, we’d been relying on old, refurbished kit,” they shared. “Winning the Samsung tech has allowed us to work more efficiently and more professionally. It’s made us more productive, well-connected and far more collaborative.”

Support for the future

Jennifer Rock, founder of The Skin Nerd and Skingredients and winner of The Pitch in 2023, agrees that the support extended well beyond a prize drop. “It actually allows you to truly focus on your own business — your why, where you’re going — and helps you to really channel that energy towards the future,” she said. “You’re surrounded by like-minded individuals and peers that are on a similar trajectory to you.”

Rock credits the experience with pushing her business forward in real and measurable ways. “It massively helped to accelerate The Skin Nerd and Skingredients… not alone [for] the €100,000 worth of Samsung goodies… but also when you get that feedback from the judges, it’s phenomenal.”

For Jennifer Rock and Platform55, The Pitch offered far more than a moment of spotlight. It created meaningful connections, exposure and belief — all of which lasted well beyond the competition itself. “The Pitch gave us validation, visibility and long-term benefits we’re still feeling,” Rock said.

A transformative prize

The winner will walk away with an incredible prize worth up to €150,000 of Samsung technology, an IMAGE media and advertising campaign and expert mentoring with the esteemed Bobby Kerr and Áine Kerr.

The suite of Samsung technology has the potential to be a game-changer for any business, offering cutting-edge tools that enhance productivity, innovation and customer engagement. From sophisticated smartphones and tablets to advanced display solutions, Samsung technology empowers businesses to streamline operations, improve communication, deliver immersive experiences and optimise performance. As part of the prize for The Pitch 2025, such a transformative package could elevate a company’s technological capabilities to new heights, enabling it to stay ahead in a competitive landscape and unlock significant growth opportunities.

A multi-platform media and advertising campaign with IMAGE Media allows the winner to place their brand and their message in front of the right audience at the right time, a critical element in accelerating business to the next level. And to support this growth, the winner receives expert mentoring throughout the year with two experienced, energetic and informed mentors, Bobby Kerr and Áine Kerr – both broadcasters and entrepreneurs – which is exactly what any business needs to take advantage of the opportunities this competition provides and maintain growth into the future.

Platform55 highlighted the mentorship as especially transformative. “Bobby Kerr quickly got under the bonnet of our business, understood our biggest challenges and shared insights that are already helping us scale and accelerate growth. He’s not only brilliant to work with but an absolute gentleman too.”

Enter The Pitch 2025 today!