Richard Branson Invites Entrepreneurs To Pitch Him Their Dreams at Hotel in London

Image: Sir Richard Branson celebrates during the opening of Virgin Hotels New York City. (Photo Credit: Virgin Hotels)

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:15 PM ET, Tue January 14, 2025

Calling all budding entrepreneurs….

Now’s your chance to get your ideas for greatness in front of one of the world’s most successful businessmen: Richard Branson.

In a recent blog post, Branson revealed that he’s launching a new program at the Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch.

An elevator inside the hotel is being turned into “a pitching ground for entrepreneurs,” Branson said in his blog. Being dubbed the “Elevator of Dreams,” the new program will kick-off January 17.

But what is the Elevator of Dreams exactly? Here’s how Sir Branson explains it.

“The Elevator is a place where aspiring founders can go to pitch their business ideas to a global audience of potential investors,” Branson writes in his blog. “Located by the lifts outside the Founders Room at Virgin Hotels London, budding entrepreneurs can buzz the video doorbell and quickly present their dream ideas to the camera.”

You may be wondering how this all got started. And you wouldn’t be alone. Here’s the back-story.

It seems wherever Branson goes in the world, he’s pitched all sorts of business ideas from strangers (Naturally.) And as such, he’s always dreamed of having an elevator where people could pitch their ideas. (Get it, make your ‘elevator pitch.’)

But there’s more to the story than Branson’s long-held elevator pitch dreams.

Branson writes in his blog post that he was very moved by how British entrepreneur and multi-millionaire Simon Squibb “transformed a disused staircase in London into a hub for entrepreneurs. At the top, they set up a video doorbell that entrepreneurs can pitch to, and then the best of those pitches were shared on social media to help raise their profile and get their business started.”

And still….there’s more.

On a recent Virgin Atlantic flight, one of Squibb’s co-founders, it seems, approached Branson and suggested turning an elevator inside Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch into a pitching ground for entrepreneurs. Branson says he jumped at the idea.

And there you have it, the Elevator of Dreams was born.

How Will Pitching Work Exactly?

So, as mentioned, if you have a brilliant idea, now is the time to hop the pond and head to the Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch and make your pitch in the hotel’s Elevator of Dreams.

Branson and Squibb will use their respective social media platforms to share feedback on their favorite pitches.

In addition, all the pitches made to the Elevator of Dreams will be uploaded to the HelpBnk platform, where potential investors can view and support aspiring entrepreneurs on their start-up journey. 

Finally, the top five pitches will also be invited to join the Virgin StartUp Community, where founders can access one-on-one mentoring with founders of some of the UK’s fastest growing businesses, tap into online courses and workshops and sign-up to exclusive in-person events and networking opportunities.

A further five founders will be given access to Virgin StartUp’s How to Build a Business course, helping early-stage founders take the next step towards achieving their dreams. 

Sounds like a lot of dreams in the making.