The aim of the Early Ethical Entrepreneurial Pitch Competition (EEEPC) is to provide entrepreneurs with an opportunity to present their idea to a business and social entrepreneurial leaders who are influential in the community and who have the mentoring skills and resources to support an entrepreneur or enterprise to make a concept a reality.

The Early Ethical Entrepreneur Pitch Competition is going to be held as part of the Ethical Enterprise Conference, on 23rd of February 2023, Thursday as an event.

• Are you building a start-up business?

• Is our enterprise been in operation for less than 24 months?

• Does your start-up business have the potential to improve the social, economic and environmental conditions of an overseas or local community?

• Are you a passionate entrepreneur working on a business that is designed to make a difference?

If your answer is yes to the above, we would love to hear from you!

Why Apply

The Early Entrepreneurial Pitch Competition aims to provide entrepreneurs with an opportunity to present their idea to four business and social entrepreneurial leaders who are influential in the community and who have the mentoring skills and resources to support an entrepreneur or enterprise to make a concept a reality.

Timeline of Events

• Applications open on Thursday the 17th of August 2022

• Applications close on Thursday the 21st of October 2022

• Shortlisted applicants will be notified between the 21st to the 31st of October 2022

• Pitch Day: 23rd of February 2023, Thursday at The Woodward Level 10 Law Building, Carlton VIC 3053

• EEEPC Winner will be announced on 23rd of February 2023, Thursday at The Woodward Level 10 Law Building, Carlton VIC 3053 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm

• The People’s Choice Award and other awards will be released on 23rd of February 2023, Thursday at the Ethical Enterprise Award Dinner

Format/Location

The EEEPC 2022 will be held in Melbourne. The Early Pitch finalists will be asked to present their pitch at The Woodward on 23rd of February 2023, Thursday during the Ethical Enterprise Award dinner with the support of an AV Team and host. The judges will be present during the finalists’ pitch and will be scoring your pitch based on the application key criteria. The judges have the final say and will choose a winner.

There will also be a People’s Choice Award. The audience will be asked to select their favourite pitch and the winner of the People’s Choice Award will be announced at the Ethical Enterprise Award dinner.

What Past Winners Had To Say

“My name is Sabrina and I am the founder of EnAccess Maps. We are a platform that allows mobility aid users to find and review wheelchair accessible restaurants. I was one of the finalists of the 2021 Early Ethical Entrepreneur Pitch Competition. I applied for this competition because I wanted to challenge myself and pitch in front of an audience for the first time. During the preparation of my pitch deck, I learnt to keep my presentation concise, but at the same time clear and engaging. This special opportunity taught me to alter my narrative based on who the audience were. During the event, I have received some amazing feedback from the judges as well as from the audience. One of the most memorable pieces of advice from one of the judges was that instead of expanding our platform across Australia, I should focus on one suburb at a time. I decided to take on this approach and our platform currently has the accessibility information of 80% of the restaurants in Melbourne CBD. I have also met some amazing people during networking sessions who have become my current mentors. I highly recommend anyone who has an idea they would like to share with the world to take on this fun, unforgettable, yet challenging experience.”

- Sabrina Leung EnAccess Maps Finalists 2021

“As a finalist of the Early Ethical Entrepreneur Pitch Competition in 2021, my advice for any Early Ethical Entrepreneur is to just go for it and apply for the Pitch Competition. The experience you gain at all stages is invaluable. The application process is carefully designed to get you thinking about your new business and allows you to practice and refine the way you describe it to others. We didn’t take home the grand prize, however we felt like winners by just being a part of the process. The opportunity to present in front of some of Australia’s best Ethical Entrepreneurs has presented us with an abundance of networking opportunities. As a result we have received so much helpful advice and many new ideas from all corners of the Ethical Enterprise space. There is nothing quite like getting your idea out there to get the creative juices flowing. Since the conference we have had a lot more confidence to keep working on our business, knowing that we are supported by an incredible community of Ethical Entrepreneurs. Thank you Moral Fairground for the opportunity, it’s been quite literally life changing!”

- Siobhan Dongés - Purple Card Project Finalist 2021

“One of the best, and most unexpected, benefits I got from participating in last year's Pitch Competition were the connections made, even through a screen. It was so great to get to know the other finalists and connect with them and audience members afterwards. It's actually led us to some surprising new places this year - including collaborating with one audience member to create workshops around our books and another has joined me as a co-founder in this adventure! It's hard to know where I'd be now if I hadn't participated.”

- Grace O’Hara, Small Fires, Winner of the 2020 Pitch Competition

“The advice and support I have received since winning the EEEPC has been invaluable. I have learned so much from all of the people I have come into contact with through the prize and my business is so much better off for it after people found out I had won the EEEPC, they started to take me and my ideas more seriously. That outside validation opened doors for me that were previously closed.”

- Megan O’Malley, Humiform, Winner of the 2019 Pitch Competition

“By participating in the Early Ethical Entrepreneur Pitch Competition, we were able to share about charityBay in a real-life scenario surrounded by like-minded individuals providing feedback and support.
We had the opportunity to connect with experienced industry leaders and other startups doing an incredible job. It is a highly recommended experience that will allow you to create long-lasting connections and brand awareness with an impact-driven community.”

- Haidar Al-Fallouji, Charity Bay, Winner of the People’s Choice 2020 Pitch Competition