Inventions Pocket Money Pitch

Imagine a year's worth of pocket money up for grabs

just waiting for kids like you from across the UK

to come up with a winning business pitch.

THEY TALK OVER EACH OTHER

Could you spot a gap in the market?

Our business is Fizz Biz, which makes carbonated smoothies,

milkshakes and juices.

What's your big idea?

Our business idea is...

-Upcycling.

-Boom!

Or are you the next Branson, Sugar or Dyson?

My business idea is to create films for special occasions.

Now budding entrepreneurs are entering the Pocket Money Pitch-Off.

All are hoping to secure that valuable pot of cash

and the priceless help of a top industry guru

to kick-start their business.

They will have just one chance to call for help.

And this is it - the Pause My Pitch button.

One guru to impress, only one idea can come out on top.

This is Pocket Money Pitch.

Pocket Money Pitchers, it's time to go head-to-head.

Present your pitch.

-The pitcher...

-I've chosen...

Is...

We have searched the whole of the UK to find

the best young business talent.

And now they're about to go head-to-head.

We've got six young inventors competing to change our world.

Computers, telephones, the light bulb and even the wheel -

if you think about it, they're all products

that have had to be invented.

Only three will get the chance to pitch in the vault

to today's guru Rob Law, who will decide which is worth backing

with a year's worth of pocket money.

Rob invented a ride-on suitcase, which made him a millionaire.

Our pitchers can improve their chances of impressing Rob

by winning over the business buddies.

Each is an expert in their field,

which means they'll scrutinise every idea to try and spot a winner.

Well, those are our buddies, here are our pitchers.

First up is ten-year-old inventor

Aisha from Leicester.

I think I'm going to be really good at this

because I love a new challenge.

Going head-to-head with Aisha is

14-year-old Amelia from Edinburgh.

I think that my idea is really good because I've done my research

and no-one has made it.

Both businesses are pitching to the buddies

but only one idea can go through to the next stage.

Bite and Write, you're up first. Take it away.

Hello, my name's Aisha and I come from Leicester.

My product is a Bite And Write pencil,

which is a solution for all those pencil biters out there.

The Bite And Write pencil is part-edible for people to chew on.

Amazing, right?!

It can also come in different flavoured and textured sweets

with, of course, the healthy option of rice cakes,

cereal bars or fruit sticks

for all those worrying parents and teachers out there.

So why bother?

Many children chew their pencil because that helps them feel better

or helps them calm down, or just because they enjoy

the taste of pencil.

Thank you very much for listening to me

and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

Aisha's invention has certainly given the buddies

something to chew on

but Amelia has a bright idea of her own.

Have you ever gotten into your parents' car at night

and can't find where to put your seatbelt?

Well, worry no more.

C-Klik is the easy way to belt up safely in any car.

My idea is to produce a glow-in-the-dark

neon-coloured sticker that will be easily fitted

to the seatbelt plug point.

The sticker will be inexpensive to buy,

easily fitted and replaced

and with funky neon colours, C-Klik will be a big hit.

So C-Klik to infinity and beyond.

Brilliant ideas there.

Let's find out what the buddies think.

First up, top chef Luke.

Guys, great ideas but I'm going for Bite And Write.

There you go, Bite And Write.

Next up it's award-winning branding expert Bianca.

I'm going to go with C-Klik.

C-Klik. Oh, one vote each.

Which will digital highflyer Ben choose?

Massive well done, guys, but I'm going to go with C-Klik.

C-Klik. So you have two votes now.

But a vote for Aisha would make it even.

Product designer Emily brought her invention to market.

So who's she going to pick?

Well, fantastic pitches, guys...

..but I'm going to go for Amelia and C-Klik.

It's a really simple idea, which is always the best.

Emily casts the deciding vote, but who would Emma-Jayne have voted for?

I'm going to go for Bite And Write.

Oh, what a toughie! But Luke and Emma-Jayne loved Aisha's idea,

so she leaves feeling positive.

I know I did my best and it doesn't matter if I'm out

because at least two people, buddies, agreed with me.

Now, Amelia is in charge.

She can pick a buddy from the ones that voted for her.

It's a crucial decision because they'll be her lifeline

when she faces the guru.

I think I've clicked with Emily.

Ah, brilliant! I see what you did there.

-Good luck, we'll see you a bit later.

-Thank you.

Next to brave the buddies

is 11-year-old inventor Oscar, from Hampshire.

I've a really good eye for photography

but I think I've a better one for business.

Squaring up will be ten-year-old

twins Owen and Aidan from York.

I think we'll make a good team.

And that's why we'll be good businessmen.

Replacing Emily, we have a new buddy, Amber,

jeweller to the stars, ready to meet our next set of inventors.

Pocket Money Pitchers, it's time to go head-to-head.

Oscar, take it away.

Hi, my name is Oscar and today I'll be pitching my product.

It is called an Eye Shelf, which is a clear shelf

easily matched with any bed

and lets the person use their phone or tablet.

You lay there and you just look up and it goes above your head.

This stops getting neck aches from laying to the side to watch it

off your bedside table,

or holding it in the air, so it hurts your arms.

Me and my dad used to hold it in the air when I was having stories

when I was young, but the problem was he would often fall asleep

before me and drop it on me.

I think a lot of people would want to use this.

Oscar's inspiration was a tablet falling on his head.

Ouch! Beat that, Isaac Newton!

But twin brothers Owen and Aidan

have also been struck by inspiration.

Hi, I'm Owen and this is my twin brother Aidan.

Our company's called BOAM, which stands for

Big O's Aid to Maths.

I have cerebral palsy and find it hard to hold maths equipment.

So my brother and I decided to invent a magnetic maths set

that didn't move.

Our prototype is a specially designed metal maths set

that sticks to a magnetic sheet underneath the paper,

so you only need one hand to draw a line with it.

They also have handy handles so you can easily pick it up.

One in 1,000 children are born with hemiplegia

and we want to help them be...

-BOTH:

-Maths geniuses!

Boom, two ingenious inventions!

It's going to be a tough call for the buddies.

Let's find out from Amber who she's voting for.

My vote is going to be with Owen and Aidan.

Next to vote, it's Emma-Jayne.

It's a tough choice but I am going to go for Team BOAM.

Another buddy for the twins, but how will Ben vote?

I'm going to go with Team BOAM, Big O's Aid to Maths.

Team BOAM, you've made it through to the next round. Well done.

Time to find out how the remaining buddies would have voted.

For me, I will go for Team BOAM.

The Eye Shelf is excellent but Team BOAM did an amazing job

and it's a great concept.

Clean sweep there for you, Team BOAM.

Well done, lads.

Oh, Oscar's out, but with a great invention,

who knows what the future holds? Hands free, of course.

It's been really fun. I've really enjoyed it

and I will carry on my business idea.

Owen and Aidan won over all of the buddies

and now they have the power to choose which one they want.

Jewellery entrepreneur Amber,

award-winning product designer Emma-Jayne,

renowned restaurateur Luke,

go-to branding buddy Bianca

or go-getter social media expert Ben?

Now, you lads are in a really good position here. Have you decided?

Yep. Bianca.

Bianca!

Ready for our last head-to-head

is Lauren, a 12-year-old from Essex.

I am quite competitive.

So I'd really like to get this pocket money and start my business.

And our final pitcher is

11-year-old Charlie from Berkshire.

Richard Branson is my business inspiration

because he, like me, is dyslexic

and he's really not afraid to take risks.

It's the final head-to-head.

Replacing buddy Bianca is online entrepreneur Suleman.

Pocket Money Pitchers, time to go head-to-head.

We're starting with you, Lauren, Phone Feet, take it away.

Hi, I'm Lauren and my business idea is Phone Feet.

It's a special kind of case.

The idea came about when I was out with my friend,

she dropped her phone down a hill and there was a huge crack

across the screen.

By seeing the panic on her face,

I knew this was a problem that needed to be solved.

A little light bulb went off in my head

and I thought of feet on phones.

These stumps, or feet, will protect your screen

from ever coming in contact with the ground.

I'm sure one of you know, or are that person,

who has a cracked phone.

Many phone users do not use a case, this is a very bad idea

as your phone could get flung out of your hand at any moment.

Make sure your phone lands on its feet.

So will the buddies think Lauren's phone case has legs,

or at the very least feet?

But there is competition.

Putting his case forward is Charlie.

Hi, I'm Charlie and I'm from Berkshire.

I'm here to RUIN a business.

The business I'm here to ruin is the business of

cracked smartphone screen repairs.

So what is the saviour of humanity and bank accounts?

Well, it's this, The Good Grip.

It's, as you can see,

ribbed, making it extremely holdable

and it doesn't slip as easily.

You heat them up in water, squeeze and bam, or should I say snap!

You've got your phone cover.

Thank you.

A gripping pitch from Charlie.

Two solutions to the same problem.

Only one can go through to the guru.

-Amber, which one are you going for?

-My vote is with Lauren.

A good start for Phone Feet. Here's Emma Jayne.

I'm going to go for Charlie and Snap Phone Covers.

One vote all, with Luke up next.

I'm going to be going with Charlie and Snap Phone Covers.

Charlie is now just one vote away from victory.

Suleman's next.

A difficult decision. Lauren, it's a great idea,

definitely an issue in the market.

Charlie, after that pitch I vote for you.

There's a happy face!

Three votes to one, Charlie is through.

But let's find out how Ben would have voted.

A massive well done to both of you

but I'm going to vote for Snap Phone Covers.

Oh, a tough call, I love those little feet

but Lauren is ready to bounce back.

I'd like to carry on.

I'd like to think I can get it out there and people would buy it.

So I think I'll carry on with it, yeah.

Now Charlie needs a buddy to help him pitch his invention to the guru.

Will he choose acclaimed clothing innovator Emma-Jayne,

jet-setting young head chef Luke,

supermarket super supplier Suleman,

or digital dynamo Ben?

-Hmm.

-It's tough, isn't it?

I'm probably going to go for...

Last minute think...

Emma-Jayne.

Well, Emma-Jayne's clearly chuffed about that,

so she's going to work with you and get you ready for the next bit

when you're going to meet the guru in the vault.

Good luck, Charlie, I'll see you later.

So six have now become three.

We have C-Klik, Big O's Aid to Maths

and Snap Phone Covers.

They will now get ready to pitch their ideas

to the guru in the vault.

Guru Rob Law came up with the idea

for a ride-on suitcase at university

but it took him another nine years to perfect the design.

Now, kids travel with Rob's funky products all around the world.

To be successful in business you need to be really passionate,

driven and confident.

It's very easy to get distracted by having lots of ideas,

but the successful businesses just focus on one big idea

and just make sure that is as good as it can be.

There are three young inventors pitching to Rob in the vault,

but he won't be giving them an easy ride.

I'm looking for an idea that's solving a problem

that hasn't been solved before.

The idea should be really, really simple -

as the best ideas always are.

One business will win time with Rob and a year's worth of pocket money,

that's £322.40 to invest in their business.

There's a really good margin there.

The young inventors will be using all of their business buddy's

experience to perfect their pitches, ready for the guru.

We're going to need to focus a little bit more on the market,

your competition, any research you've done, so we can work out

where in the market it's going to fit with other products.

Owen and Aidan's maths set solves the problem for people

with a physical disability and Bianca hopes to maximise sales.

So, two different markets, two different colour schemes

and therefore two different price points.

Amelia's seatbelt stickers could be the simple idea Rob's after.

Emily wants her pitch to really sell it.

I think they should lead in like,

"Hi, I'm Amelia and I'm going to make safety cool."

Now, while the Pocket Money Pitchers get ready,

the vault is preparing for the final showdown -

the mission to win over the gurus.

But, if at any point the pitchers get stuck,

they can press this, the Pause My Pitch Button

and a guru will be locked away and the buddy will be able to run on

and help them.

But they need to choose their time wisely with this

because they can only Pause My Pitch once.

Strapping herself in for a bumpy ride with the guru is

Amelia with C-Klik.

Waiting backstage is buddy Emily.

Present your pitch.

Hello, I'm Amelia and I'm going to make safety cool

in a really simple way.

Have you ever gotten into your parents' car at night

and can't find where to put your seatbelt?

Well, worry no more.

C-Klik is a glow-in-the-dark neon-coloured sticker

that will be easily fitted to the seatbelt plug point.

I was staring up at my bedroom ceiling

and saw the luminous stars shining back at me.

Then it came to me, the stars are stickers,

they absorb the daylight and when it gets dark, they shine.

The C-Klik seatbelt sticker was born.

C-Klik will be inexpensive to buy,

the price around £2.99.

The cost to manufacture will be 50p

and I'll make a profit of nearly £2.50.

That's a profit margin of 83%.

If I were to receive a year's worth of pocket money

I would spend 1/3 on product design,

1/3 on marketing

and 1/3 on developing an app

that would promote in-car safety to children.

So, C-Klik to infinity and beyond.

Thank you.

A confident pitch but Rob's spotted a problem

with Amelia's numbers.

Do they add up?

You mentioned you'd sell it at £2.99.

-Yes.

-So you need to sell it to the stores at a price

where they can make some margins.

So have you thought about that?

Yes, I think it was £1.50... or is that what I'm making...

SHE MUMBLES

So you think about £1.50, yep?

So your margin would actually be £1, then.

That's £1.50 minus the 50p that it costs to make.

-Can I have a look at the product?

-Yes, of course.

-So that's the sticker.

-OK.

When you're struggling around in the dark and trying to find

where to put it, have you thought about...

Because that sticker shows it could go either side of the slot.

-Oh, you always know to put it onto the left side.

-OK.

-Depending on which side you are.

-Yeah, oh, yeah.

Perhaps you could put some kind of arrow on there

-or something that would help.

-OK.

Oh, free pointers from the guru but the questions aren't over yet.

And how many packs do you think you might sell in the first year?

I'm not sure, I don't know.

Amelia has paused her pitch.

With Rob unable to see or hear now, buddy Emily can help.

OK, so on this question I'd probably say...

-We can make a guess at it.

-OK.

We could say there's a population of 60 million in the UK,

if you say half of those are car owners,

-that's 30 million...

-OK, so 30 million...

And then say they have three seatbelts in the back.

-So that's 90 million.

-She's so good!

-She's so good! Great, good luck.

-OK, thank you.

Time to unlock the guru.

There's about 60 million population

and 30 of those people...

30 million of those people drive cars

and there are three seatbelts in the back, so that's 90 million.

-OK, thanks, Amelia, I think I've got enough.

-Thank you very much.

Rob's looking for a simple idea.

But will he be convinced by Amelia's figures?

Two more pitches to go.

It's Owen and Aidan's turn to face the guru with

Big O's Aid to Maths.

Present your pitch.

Hi, I'm Owen and this is my twin brother Aidan.

Our company is called BOAM, which stands for Big O's Aid to Maths.

I have cerebral palsy and find it hard to hold maths equipment.

I got frustrated with maths because I could do the calculations

but I couldn't draw the lines.

So my brother and I decided to invent a magnetic maths set

that did not move.

We have two prototypes.

To make it more appealing to kids,

we have a colourful one with curved edges.

The children's maths will cost £7 to make

and £12.50 to sell,

meaning we'll get a £5 profit every time we sell a set.

HE MUMBLES

-(Your go.)

-(£10, no, 10%.)

It's your go!

We would use £350 of our own pocket money

from doing chores and birthday money.

Now we would like you to try a normal ruler...

Try and draw a straight line

with one hand behind your back with a normal ruler.

It goes wobbly.

Now you can try our invention.

And it goes straight. Thank you for listening to our pitch

and we are happy to answer any questions.

After a hands-on demonstration,

time for the guru to examine the business plan.

You came up with the idea

because you struggle with drawing straight lines.

Have you talked to anyone else about what they think of your idea?

Not really.

We talked to a couple of friends and they really enjoyed it, but, no.

-Have you talked to maths teachers?

-No.

What are you passionate about?

What would you like to do when you leave school?

I'd like to process the idea and maybe patent it

or get it global, into America.

-Global.

-Take it global, OK.

Have you thought where you might be able to make the plastic set?

Erm, no.

The guru is locked away. This is a tricky one.

How do you turn your prototype into something

that you can then sell in the shops?

So I think you should say that you created these ones yourselves,

but what you're going to do is go out and find suppliers in the UK

-and overseas and try and get the most competitive price.

-OK.

-OK, does that work?

-Yep.

-Yes.

-OK. Fantastic, good luck!

Time to unlock the guru.

Well, we made them ourselves but we would look for the best price

overseas and in the UK to get the best competitive quote.

-Yeah, that's how...

-OK, great.

Owen, Aidan, thanks for your pitch.

Nice work, lads. Team BOAM exit the vault.

Third and final inventor is Charlie

who thinks traditional phone covers

aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Present your pitch.

Hi, I'm Charlie and I'm here to RUIN a business.

The business I'm here to ruin is the business

of cracked smartphone screen repairs.

My inspiration is my mum who dropped her smartphone

three times in one month, cracking the screen each time.

So what is the saviour of humanity?

Well, it's this, the Good Grip!

As you can see, it's got a fat back and a ribbed hold,

-so it's extremely easy to fit into the mould of your hand.

-Mm-hm.

There are 40 million smartphone users in the UK alone.

I want 20 million of them using my Good Grip in five years.

£2.50 is the cost price.

The wholesale price is £5.

The retail price is £12.

Thank you. And as my dad says to my mum,

"Get a grip, get a Good Grip!"

So Charlie's mum's got a good grip

but has Charlie got to grips with his business plan?

So what will you be spending your pocket money on?

I know where they're going to be produced - China Ewoo.

So...it's mainly going to be getting the template in the factories,

so that once we've got the template done, then I can produce hundreds.

Can I come over and have a look?

What's changed from the first ones?

-How have you developed?

-This one didn't really fit.

It can't hold on to the phone, so it just slipped out

and then this one has the hole for the charging, a grip.

And this one's right-handed unlike all of the others,

except these two that are interchangeable.

-OK.

-So you can go from that to that.

-Great.

Now time for questions.

Can his products go global?

You mentioned the UK market, have you thought much about

the international market? Where would you take the product next?

Well...

Erm...

He's done it! The guru is locked away.

Buddy Emma-Jayne comes in to lend a helping hand.

You're doing so well! America's a huge market,

so that's obviously a good market to tap into.

Yeah, there's going to be hundreds of millions there.

And also it's closer for you, you'll be shipping from China,

so you'll have cheaper shipping costs, which is a good thing.

So your product will have a bigger margin.

Will China be in there?

Because I was just thinking, there would be no shipping costs

-if we sent...

-Absolutely.

-You could also target China.

-Got it!

Super, you've got it. You're doing really well. I'm very impressed.

Thanks.

Time to unlock the guru.

Next it's going to be America because that's closer to China,

so it's going to be cheaper shipping costs

and it's got a very big market.

Perhaps after that it's going to be China because then you've got

zero shipping costs and then, again, that's got a big market as well.

-OK, thank you for your pitch.

-Thank you.

What a performance!

The final pitch is done.

So who will it be from our three new inventions?

C-Klik,

Big O's Aid to Maths,

or Snap Phone Covers?

Only one will get time with the guru

and a year's worth of pocket money to invest in their business.

Rob, brilliant inventions there. What did you think?

Yeah, really, really impressive.

I think Amelia had spotted a very simple solution

to a problem that has a huge market.

Owen and Aidan had really come up with

a very practical solution to a real problem.

And Charlie was incredibly passionate and I really love the way

he developed his idea with his prototypes.

Of course, only one of you can be chosen by our guru.

Rob, who is your prize pitcher?

It's an incredibly tough decision.

But the pitcher I've chosen is...

..Amelia!

THEY CHEER

Well done! Congratulations. That's absolutely brilliant.

-How do you feel?

-Really happy.

Three inventive products.

-BOTH:

-BOAM!

I am really excited. I've really enjoyed my experience

and super proud got this far.

I had a really, really, really fun time. Absolutely great!

But there can be only one winner, Amelia with C-Klik.

It was such a simple idea that had huge market appeal.

She stood up to some really strong questioning.

She didn't lose her ground and was very confident in her answers

and had done a lot of homework.

Now our young entrepreneur is getting a taste

of the inventor's life

and with a year's worth of pocket money to play with,

this is just the start of the journey for Amelia and C-Klik.

Oh, wow! Look at that!

Find out how she gets on

in Pocket Money Pitch - What Happened Next

at the end of the series.

That's really good!