Fishburners is hosting a LGBTIQA+ Pride pitch night

Fishburners and high-performance coach and speaker, Veronica Mason are collaborating to host an LGBTIQA+ Pride pitch night next Friday, February 16. ‘

The event is for queer founders, who will be paired with judges to pitch their business and will compete for a judge’s choice and a people’s choice award.

Veronica Mason

Mason was inspired to create the pitch night after discovering that at least 75% of LGBTIQA+ founders reported concealing their identity from investors, with many believing it would impact their ability to raise funds.

She wanted to give founders an opportunity to pitch their businesses in a safe, friendly and fun way and Mason aims to highlight LGBTIQA+ founders due to their underrepresentation within the startup/tech ecosystem.

The event will also act as a fundraiser, with 25% of the ticket revenue being donated to the Pinnacle Foundation, Australia’s LGBTQIA+ education charity. T

he Pinnacle Foundation offers educational scholarships, mentoring, and opportunities for young disadvantaged LGBTQIA+ Australians, empowering them to realise their full potential.

Mason is previous scholar and 2024 Pinnacle Alumni Scholar for the University of Sydney’s LGBTQIA+ Executive Fellowship.

The judging panel will include James Alexander, cofounder of Galileo Ventures and Jarrod Lomas, president of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Business Association.

LGBTIQA+ founders, whether they are at the idea stage or actively seeking capital, are welcome to participate, with applications closing this Monday, February 12, at 5pm. Here’s the application

The LGBTIQA+ Pride pitch night is on Friday, Feb 16  5-8pm, at Fishburners, at the Sydney Startup Hub, 11 York St.

If you’re keen to come along, grab ticketes from Humanitix at humanitix.com/pride-pitch-night

If you’d like to sponsor the night, get in touch with Sabrina Zeng on partnerships[at}fishburners.org.