The Ultimate Pitch in Derry: enter free by 17 August

Entrepreneurs across Derry City and Strabane have until Monday 17 August 2026 to enter Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch, a free business competition offering the chance to win up to £6,000 in investment.

The competition is open to people with a business still in the pre-trading stage and to newly established firms that have been operating for less than two years, in any sector. The Derry City and Strabane area heat is due to take place in autumn, with the overall final scheduled for Wednesday 18 November 2026 at Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy.

Dates, eligibility and the route to the final

Applicants at the local heat will present their idea to a judging panel drawn from the local business and civic community. The area winner receives £1,000 in investment and moves on to the Northern Ireland final.

The overall winner will receive the Go Succeed Ultimate Pitch Award and a prize package that includes a photography session from Brian Thompson Photography, a podcast recording session from Attention X Studio NI, Toastmasters membership and media training from LK Communications.

Four additional awards are on offer

Alongside the main prize, the final will include category awards for impact, inclusive entrepreneurship, rising-star entrepreneurs aged 16 to 25, and the contestant who receives the most public votes. Each category winner receives £1,500 towards their business idea.

The competition gives early-stage founders a defined route from a local presentation to a regional final, rather than requiring them to compete immediately against entrants from across Northern Ireland. Local heats are being held across all 11 council areas.

Last year, Derry City and Strabane entrant Mary Blake of SeeMe reached the final with an AI-enabled personal archive platform designed to preserve the memories behind photographs. Nomathamsanqa Tholo won the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Award for Cultural Staffing Solutions, while the overall 2025 winner was Coleraine entrepreneur Sander Van Eck, whose company Noord makes waterproof socks.

Masterclasses are available before the heats

According to Derry City and Strabane Council News, applicants can also attend masterclasses on preparing an effective pitch before the regional heats. The final coincides with Global Entrepreneurship Week.

No start or finish times for the local heat or Bellaghy final have been published in the supplied event information. Entrepreneurs who want to enter, read the full terms and conditions, or find further details should apply through Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch before 17 August.

Source: Derry City and Strabane Council News