Entrepreneurs seeking start-up capital for their business ideas are invited to pitch for a share of a £5 million investment fund from MITIE Group PLC at a live ‘MITIE Millions’ pitching afternoon on May 28th. The four hour session will see six entrepreneurs competing for a slice of the £5m fund in front of a panel of top business leaders, led by MITIE CEO Ruby McGregor-Smith. MITIE are particularly excited about the market opportunities in energy services, healthcare and technology, which have huge potential for outsourcers to provide new and innovative solutions. Applications to participate in the event are open until the 30 April 2012.

More information can be found at www.mitie.com/entrepreneurs.

Happily the subdomain path was finally renamed, along with various access rights and opencoffeebristol.jbsh.co.uk sprang back into life.

Thankfully, there was a backup so the website is largely ‘normal’, just as soon as we establish what normal is anyway.

There’s a new calendar (if it looks a bit blank, it’s because the next Open Coffee is in Feb: as of posting this), and all the Open Coffee Bristol events are scheduled in forever thanks to a recurring event feature that All-in-One Event Calendar has, it’s also in technicolor (well two colours at the moment, but more can be added).

Pitching for Management events enable diverse fast-growing businesses to pitch for senior executives to join their teams in SALARIED, SWEAT EQUITY and COMMISSION-BASED positions.  Audience members are looking for new career challenges and offer a range of skills.

So if you are a company looking to strengthen/build your management team or a senior executive looking for a new career challenge, this is a great event for you.  Reserve your place at http://angelnewsevents.eventbrite.com, call AngelNews on 01761 452248 or use the booking pages below.

For more information about the concept, including testimonials visit: http://www.angelnews.co.uk/angelnews-newssite/static/pitchingforManagement.jsf

In case you don’t already have them in your diary, the next few meetings are:

• Tues, 3 May, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• Tues, 17 May, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• Tues, 31 May, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• Tues, 14 June, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• Tues, 28 June, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• Tues, 12 Julyy, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• etc…

You don’t have to attend every meeting, you’re just as welcome to come along to one as to them all. As always we’re in the Boston Teaparty, 75 Park Street.

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Last year I put a repeating event on Eventbrite so we had a calendar but that may have caused more confusion than it solved as some people thought they had to book to come along to Open Coffee Bristol. You don’t need to book, just turn up, buy a tasty beverage, perhaps a pastry and join in the business discussions.

The next meetings will be:

• Tues, 8 Feb, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• Tues, 22 Feb, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• Tues, 8 March, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• Tues, 22 March, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• Can you spot the pattern yet?
• Tues, 5 April, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• Tues, 19 April, 8.30am until 10am or whenever people have to leave
• and fortnightly

You don’t have to attend every meeting, you’re just as welcome to come along to one as to them all.

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Jimmy’s user page on Wikipedia is a very insightful read. His 8 founding philosophies would stand well in most socially aware entrepreneurs (though a couple are very Wikipedia-centric).

I’m sure that lots of Open Coffee regulars make frequent use of Wikipedia, I certainly do, and I’m sure we all support Jimmy & Wikimedia in developing their many projects. I look forward to seeing many of you at Jimmy’s talk in the Victoria Rooms,

It’s also worth noting that Jimmy’s presence in Bristol is largely due to our incredible strength in software development, web technologies and the commitment to open and free (as in speech as well as in beer) software across the city.

If you can’t make it, you can watch all the goodness here:

Thanks especially to Myles Mayne (website), Tony Coll (), Graham Papworth (), & Peter Philips () for bringing some new perspectives and joining in with gusto. It’s always a pleasure to meet new entrepreneurs from around the city region.

Of course its also great to catch up with friends so good to see Nick (), Helen (), Stephen (), Mark (), Dave (), and Nigel (); I think I remembered everyone!

Lots of good discussions about emerging government statements about support for business innovation and improvement, launching a new business, mobile applications, business models, and that was just my end of the table.

Unfortunately I can’t be at the next meeting on Tues 25 Jan as I’ll be at an iNET launch in Gloucestershire but Nigel Legg has offered to host, so please come along for more great business discussions.

Well some of the right people have just been receiving the invite below, so if you’re a growing business (even if you’re not an Open Coffee regular) and you’d like an opportunity to meet them, please drop Angel News a line, or visit the eventbrite link.

Hint: NO CHARGE for pitching companies

http://pitchingformanagementinbristol2.eventbrite.com/

AngelNews, the leading online news service for the early stage investment market, in association with Intramezzo and The Boulevard, Burges Salmon and Smith & Williamson, invites you to the 2nd Pitching for Management™ event in Bristol on the 26th January 2011 at 6.00pm – 9.30pm.

Use your skills to help a business grow

If you are looking to work with an exciting growing business, in any role from Mentor to CEO or Marketing Director, you must attend Pitching for Management™.

We know companies currently looking to fill a range of posts and many will be pitching at this event….. They need someone just like you to join their senior management team.

They will be pitching their business and details of the role(s) that needs filling to our audience of serial entrepreneurs, senior business managers and business angels.  Make sure you are one of the first people to hear about these exciting vacancies.

http://pitchingformanagementinbristol2.eventbrite.com/

Hope to see you all there!
John