INVENT 2025 Finalist: NuPitch
Founders name: Christian Kotey and Ray Mongey
What was the “aha” moment that sparked your idea?
The “aha” moment came on set. As a filmmaker with 20+ years’ experience, I watched cast and crew sit idle while we waited for funding approvals tied up in rebate audits and paperwork. We had the money on paper, but not in the bank — all because of delays, manual errors, and spreadsheets. That pain of losing days of shooting, burning budget and time, was the trigger: this had to be automated. It started with frustration — chasing incentives that were meant to support productions but instead slowed them down. In conversations with other producers and film commissions across 30 countries, I kept hearing the same story: too much manual work, not enough transparency, and millions lost because systems don’t talk to each other. That’s when we realised this wasn’t just my problem — it was an industry-wide gap. We’re solving the broken process of film and TV tax rebate compliance — a $11B market where over $1.2B is lost each year due to errors, delays, and inefficiency. For producers, that means faster access to the money that keeps sets running. For commissions and governments, it means accountability, transparency, and proven ROI on incentive schemes.
We built NuPitch because no filmmaker should lose creative time or budget to paperwork. By automating compliance with AI, we’re unlocking funds faster and helping both industry and governments get what they need: speed, trust, and transparency.
What is your background?
NuPitch was co-founded by a team that bridges film industry experience, technology innovation, and compliance expertise: Christian Kotey (Co-Founder, Filmmaker): Over 20 years in international film production, with first-hand experience of the challenges producers face in accessing and managing incentives. Christian brings industry credibility, networks across 30+ countries, and the practical insights that shaped NuPitch’s solution. Ray Mongey [CTO / Tech Co-Founder]: A senior technologist with a background in SaaS platforms, AI automation, and fintech compliance systems. They lead the build of NuPitch’s proprietary rules engine and integrations that make global rebate compliance scalable.Advisors & Specialists: Compliance/legal experts covering GDPR, ISO, and tax law, alongside advisors from the film commission and production rebate ecosystem, ensuring NuPitch is aligned with both government standards and industry needs.
Tell us a bit about your solution
NuPitch is an AI-powered SaaS platform that automates the end-to-end process of film and TV tax incentive compliance.
For producers and studios, it matches projects to the right incentives worldwide, automates documentation, and flags risks early — saving time, money, and stress.
For film commissions and governments, it provides real-time dashboards, audit-ready transparency, and data-driven insights on the economic impact of incentive schemes.
For the industry overall, it replaces spreadsheets and manual audits with a secure, centralised, and compliant platform that speeds up funding cycles.
What first impression do you want users to have when they experience/use your product?
We want users’ first reaction to be: “This is simple, clear, and built for me.”
For filmmakers and producers, the product should immediately feel like a relief — no more drowning in spreadsheets or chasing auditors. They should see a clean, intuitive workflow that makes complex tax rebate rules look easy and manageable.
For commissions and governments, the impression should be one of confidence — a secure, transparent system that shows accountability, compliance, and measurable ROI from day one.
In short, the first impression should be trust and clarity: that NuPitch takes a complex, frustrating process and makes it seamless, reliable, and fast.
Where do you hope to be in five years?
In five years, we see NuPitch as the global standard for film and TV tax incentive compliance — the platform trusted by producers, film commissions, and governments worldwide.
Commercially: Operating in all major production hubs across Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific,
Strategically: Embedded in national incentive systems, powering transparency and accountability at a government level.
Impact: Unlocking billions in rebates that would otherwise be lost, directly fueling productions and strengthening local economies.
Reputation: Recognised as the category leader at the intersection of film, fintech, and gov-tech, with a track record of trust and defensibility.
What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve received so far?
The most powerful feedback we’ve received came from a film commissioner during an early pilot discussion:
“If NuPitch had existed five years ago, we would have saved millions and avoided months of delays — this is exactly the system the industry has been waiting for.”