Putting the Canton of Schaffhausen on the radar of entrepreneurs seeking capital and start-ups with scaling potential - that is the goal of PowerPitch. The investor format initiated by Pilbara AG will celebrate its premiere in the Canton of Schaffhausen in March.

Next year, female entrepreneurs, founders and start-ups will have the opportunity to present their innovative projects to renowned investors in the Canton of Schaffhausen. The format is called "PowerPitch" and will take place for the first time on 9 March 2023. It will be organised by Pilbara AG. Gian-Rico Willy, former head of UBS Schaffhausen, is co-founder and managing partner of the company. "We want to give companies and people the chance to present their ideas to potential financiers and thus put the Canton of Schaffhausen on their radar," he explains. You can imagine it a bit like on shows like "Die Höhle der Löwen". However, in a more private setting and without a direct deal at the venue. "The event takes place behind closed doors," says Willy. It will take place on the premises of the Economic Promotion of the Canton of Schaffhausen, which assumes the patronage.

Pitching only by invitation

Connecting capital and investors with projects, ideas and real estate in Switzerland and worldwide is Pilbara AG's business model. "The PowerPitch is a selective event where we present our services on a single day," explains Willy. The event is divided into two parts. It starts in the morning with project pitches whose capital requirements are between 100,000 and 1 million Swiss francs. "These are projects that a bank will not easily finance," says the expert. It does not matter in which phase the projects are. In the afternoon, the focus is on large projects with a financing framework of one to 10 million francs. However, there is no longer a pitch round there. "We bring the start-ups and companies directly together with selected investors, who can then exchange ideas in a 1:1 conversation," says Willy. Already, several companies from different cantons have signed up. At the Start-up Nights in Winterthur in November, further interested companies were added. After an evaluation, Pilbara AG will select the most promising projects and invite them to an exclusive pitch event.