Pitched or Ditched: The Legacy Bench Live Comes to Manchester

What happens when you put an idea in front of experienced business people and give them the opportunity to challenge it?

On Wednesday 25th November 2026, The Legacy Bench is bringing a brand-new live event to Manchester with Pitched or Ditched – The Legacy Bench Live.

Taking place at the University of Manchester Students’ Union, the event will bring together aspiring entrepreneurs, students, founders, business professionals, investors and ambitious individuals for an afternoon built around ideas, opportunity and honest feedback.

And this time, there is a twist.

Put Your Idea to the Test

Everyone has an idea.

A business they want to start. A product they believe could work. A service they think could solve a problem. Or perhaps an idea they’ve been talking about for years but have never taken the first step with.

Pitched or Ditched is about giving those ideas a platform.

Selected entrepreneurs and aspiring founders will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas live in front of experienced judges and business professionals.

They’ll have the chance to explain what they’re building, why it matters, who it’s for and where they want to take it.

Then comes the difficult part.

The questions.

Pitch or Ditch?

The judges will challenge the ideas, explore the opportunities and ask the questions that every founder needs to be prepared for.

Is there a genuine problem being solved?

Who is the customer?

What makes the idea different?

Can it become a sustainable business?

And perhaps most importantly:

Would you invest in it?

At the end of each pitch, the judges will make their decision.

Pitch or Ditch.

But this isn’t about embarrassing entrepreneurs or tearing ideas apart.

It’s about giving people honest, practical feedback that could help them take their next step.

Have an Idea? Apply to Pitch

If you’ve got a business idea, startup concept, product or project that you believe has potential, we want to hear from you.

You don’t need to have everything figured out.

You don’t need years of business experience.

You just need an idea and the ambition to put it forward.

Apply to pitch at Pitched or Ditched:
Submit Your Pitch Application

This is your opportunity to put your idea in front of experienced business people, receive honest feedback and discover what could happen next.

More Than Just a Pitch Competition

Pitched or Ditched is designed to be about more than what’s happening on stage.

Throughout the event, there will be opportunities for attendees to meet other entrepreneurs, students, professionals and people working across different industries.

For aspiring founders, that could mean meeting a potential mentor, collaborator, investor or future business partner.

For established businesses and professionals, it’s an opportunity to discover new ideas and connect with the next generation of entrepreneurs.

And for anyone who simply has an interest in business, innovation or entrepreneurship, it’s a chance to hear ideas being challenged in real time.

What Makes a Business Investable?

A central question behind the event is one that every founder eventually has to confront:

What actually makes a business investable?

It’s easy to talk about having a great idea.

Building something people genuinely want, developing a sustainable business model, understanding the market and demonstrating the potential to grow are much harder.

That’s why Pitched or Ditched will bring experienced voices from business, technology, investment and entrepreneurship into the conversation.

The aim is to explore what happens between having an idea and turning that idea into something people are prepared to back.

Built for Ambitious People

The event is open to students, aspiring entrepreneurs, founders, professionals and anyone interested in business and innovation.

You don’t need to have an established company.

You don’t need years of experience.

And you don’t need to be an investor.

You simply need an interest in ideas and the ambition to do something with them.

For those with an idea, this could be the opportunity to finally put it in front of people who can challenge it.

For everyone else, it could be the opportunity to discover the next business before it becomes the next big thing.

Book Your Free Place

Pitched or Ditched – The Legacy Bench Live

📅 Wednesday 25th November 2026
🕛 12pm-4pm
📍 University of Manchester Students’ Union, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PR
🎟️ FREE EVENT

Book your free place:
Book on Eventbrite

Whether you’re building a business, developing an idea, looking for your next opportunity or simply curious about what makes a business worth backing, come and be part of the conversation.

Because every successful business starts somewhere.

Sometimes, it starts with an idea.

And sometimes, that idea just needs someone to ask the right questions.

Will you Pitch or Ditch?