The Elevator Pitch - Day 2

It finally happened at 12.35pm today. Tim delivered the Pingar elevator pitch to approximately 100 delegates attending the UK Forum.

It's fair to say that the delegates we recognised represented a multiple of the VC investment available in New Zealand. It was a sobering thought. The reaction however was not and the focus is now on closing our first funding round.

We were joined at the presentation by Sheetal Mehta and other leading members of the UK T&I Global Entrepreneur Team. It was also great to meet Catherine Tlapek, Senior Investment Manager with NZTE in London.

I have said before that our presence at the UK Forum was always more than just a fund raising exercise. It was about introducing the Pingar brand to the UK market and building networks for the future. That process started yesterday and continued today. Early days yet, but we have identified potential content providers for our service we had not met before. My diary over the next two weeks is testament to that.

During Tim's elevator pitch, he highlighted the importance of our relationship with Microsoft. The significance of this relationship really cannot be exaggerated. So it was good to meet up with Bindi Karia, VC/Emerging Business Lead, Microsoft this morning. Jacqui and I met Bindi on our recent trip to the UK. With Pingar building its presence in the UK, that relationship will only get stronger.

Tonight, it's black tie and tuxedo for the UK Forum 'Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony'. Tim, John and I have all been invited to join the Global Entrepreneur Team for this event. It is designed to recognise achievement in the UK Technology sector and promises to be a mix of networking, entertainment and the odd glass of something.

It will round off what has been a very successful two days for Pingar. We achieved our key objectives and will now focus on closing them down. That will be the interesting bit!