Tech incubator SETsquared Bristol will celebrate 20 years of its flagship pitch, demo and connect showcase next week.
Sixteen start-ups will promote their innovative technologies to an audience of more than 150 business leaders and investors at Tech-Xpo – with eight of them competing for Best Elevator Pitch on the night. 
The event is being staged on Wednesday, 25 September, in the iconic Goldney Hall – the venue which hosted the inaugural Tech-Xpo two decades ago.
University of Bristol-backed SETsquared has supported more than 450 companies raise £710 million in funding since its launch in 2002.
This year’s Tech-Xpo has a strong focus on tech for good, with the companies across SETsquared Bristol’s early and later stage incubation programmes representing a diverse range of sectors from machine learning and AI to health and wellbeing.
The eight businesses vying to win the Best Elevator Pitch on the night are Amutri, APS, Mapstack, Metasonixx, MyCopilot, Platipus, Taught by humans and Wavesix.
Amutri has built the fastest way to transform product design data into 3D experiences that inspire action. 
CEO and founder Michael Calver said he was excited to showcase the firm’s rapid progress following a recent fundraise.
“We’re eager to onboard innovative companies within manufacturing and engineering to join our early adopters, while inviting investors to join us on our journey to democratise 3D visualisation,” he added.
Last year’s Best Elevator Pitch winner, as voted by the audience, was digital physiotherapy tool SoleSense, whose shoe insole sensors are designed to aid stroke rehabilitation.
Founder and CEO Caz Icke, pictured, said: “Tech-Xpo was a brilliant opportunity – the pitch training made it easy to get up on stage and do my best, and I was over the moon to win Best Elevator Pitch.
“It has helped build my confidence as well as visibility and credibility for the business.”
Previous Tech-Xpo winners are Inclued, an inclusive marketing AI tool, Ferryx, which makes bacterial products capable of functioning during active disease, and KETS Quantum Security, a world leader in quantum cryptography hardware solutions.
SETsquared Bristol entrepreneur in residence Rick Chapman said: “We’re looking forward to bringing our start-up community together to celebrate two decades of incredible tech innovation and talent.
“This year’s pitching and exhibiting start-ups are no exception – definitely ones to watch in the future.”
Bristol-headquartered law firm VWV, SETsquared Bristol’s lawyer in residence, is Tech-Xpo’s headline sponsor for the 14th year while Future Finance and Burges Salmon are support sponsors.
Earlier this year SETsquared Bristol was named the top start-up hub in the UK and third in Europe as part of the SETsquared Partnership by the Financial Times and Statista.
