ZERO and Sprout Financial have been crowned winners at the Cardiff and London finals of ‘Pitch360’ during UK FinTech Week. Hosted by Innovate Finance, the industry body for UK FinTech, the competition recognises game-changing ideas that have the potential to power the future of finance.
Innovate Finance’s “Pitch360 across the UK” aims to shine a spotlight on the best FinTech talent and emerging technologies that the UK has to offer, and showcase how FinTech innovation can help drive the growth agenda and transform financial services in several UK regions.
In a Dragons’ Den style format, FinTech companies each had three minutes to pitch their innovative concepts to a panel of esteemed judges for the London and Cardiff competitions, including senior leaders from Apis Partners, Inovia, Boston Consulting Group, Level39, Future Finance, Founders Factory and FinTech Wales.
For the inaugural regional Pitch360 event in Cardiff on May 1st during UK FinTech Week, Zero, a sustainable money app and digital bank for climate-conscious consumers, was awarded first place. The judges included Abrahama Amieva from Future Finance, and Claire Mongeau from Founders Factory, who were impressed by Zero’s commitment to supporting sustainability as an alternative to traditional consumer banking practices.
Recognising the innovation emerging from regional hubs around the UK, Innovate Finance, in collaboration with FinTech Wales, invited five cutting-edge FinTechs to pitch. The other four finalists included: EA Global AI, Driverly, Menna, and Serene Health.
At the London Pitch360 final on April 30 – which also took place during UK FinTech Week 2025 – first place was awarded to Sprout Financial, a FinTech designed to help you optimise your finances with mortgage repayments and investment growth support.
The other six finalists at the London competition included: Astragar Cybersecurity & Risk Management, beatvest, Doris, Faciit, Oxford Risk, and Riff Financial.
The winners of the regional Pitch360 competitions will be gifted full membership with Innovate Finance for a year, as well as the opportunity to showcase their innovation and connect with FinTech leaders and investors at the Innovate Finance Global Summit 2026, the flagship event of the UK’s FinTech ecosystem.
Peter Cunnane, Director of International & National Initiatives of Innovate Finance, said: “I am always impressed by the incredible innovation and creativity that is showcased at our Pitch360 events.
“This year, we are very proud to be taking Pitch360 across the country, starting in Cardiff – giving us the opportunity to showcase the UK’s foremost FinTech innovators and emerging technologies from all of our regional hubs, underlining their role in driving economic growth.
“With more than half of the UK’s unicorns in FinTech, the sector is a key driver of innovation, investment and job creation, and it is fantastic that we are able to showcase the up-and-coming innovators in the sector.”
