Startup World Cup: Australian Regional Finals

Yesterday, I got to attend the Startup World Cup and enjoy pitches from the ten startups from around Australia! The ten participants where: Hip Money, Build Sort, Tide Foundation, Monarc Global, Gizmo 3D printers, My Med Kit, Mind Hive, Sensa Web, Start at 60 and Diabetes Neuromathix. All the pitches were of a high quality, which is expected from an event of this nature. Not all of them were generating revenue yet, but I can see all of them going on to have successful businesses. But there could be only one winner and the winner was Start at 60!

I was joined at the event by many of my cohort mates from Impact Boom Elevate+ as this was an opportunity for us to check out the Triffid ahead of our own pitch event on the 6th of June. I did try to network a bit, but it was nice to be able to retreat to a group of familiar faces and discuss the event. We all pretty much guessed that Start at 60 was going to win!

Start at 60, and Monarc Global had the strongest pitches in the set because they were live and making revenue. I gathered Hip Money, Build Sort, and My Med Kit are also live and making money. But their pitches weren’t as thorough as Start at 60 or Monarc Global. Gizmo 3D Printers are also live and making great progress, but they weren’t as exciting as Start at 60 or Monarc Global.

Sensa Web and Diabetes Neuromathix are great technologies that have proven their science, but they had not yet proven their business model. Sensa Web especially seemed to rely on the assumption that organisations care enough about their employees to pay for the expanse of the Sensa Web, which is far more efficient but also far more expansive than the current system. I am not sure how good of an idea it is to assume that most organisations care about the meat sacks. Steve Baxter, who was one of the judges, did point this out as well.

The only pitch that I was left completely unconvinced by was the Tide Foundation which wants to spread the Tide protocol. They want to safeguard our privacy and turn our personal data into an asset that the individual can monetise. So instead of Facebook making money of us, we make money of us. Great idea on paper, but I didn’t believe the pitch. Maybe if I looked more into the Tide protocol, I would get it. But from the pitch alone, I have more questions than answers.

Overall, it was a great event, and I am kind of keen to see if I can chase down the stream from the other regional competitions. I am especially curious about the Startup World Cup regional competition that took place in Bangladesh. I have heard that Dhaka is becoming a bit of hub of startup activity. So it would be nice if I could chase down the pitches! But certainly, I’ll try to tune into the watch parties for the rest of the regional finals and the grand finale in San Francisco, USA!

Brisbane Social Enterprise Tour 2019

On Tuesday the 12th of March I had the pleasure of going on the Brisbane Social Enterprise Tour. A lot has happened since then, including the passing of my beloved grandfather, and as a result, this is the first opportunity I had to sit down and write about it.

Our tour started in Nundah. Actually, the bus started in South Bank. I was supposed to get there by 8:00 AM, but I found myself stuck in traffic in an Uber on Milton road at 7:50 AM. So, I made an “executive decision” and decided to beat the bus to our first stop which was the Nundah Community Enterprises Co-op (NCEC) plus our cohort mate, Vessel Nundah. I ended up waiting with Marion for the bus, which was super late. So I could have to meet the bus if I kept heading towards South Bank!

Me & Marion Glover of Vessel Nundah

It was interesting hearing about the story of NCEC and how they grew from a landscaping service to a cafe, with a community centre etc. It was also funny because they took a bit of a dig on Sarina Russo. I am currently completing my NEIS requirements with Sarina Russo. So it was kind of amusing to see her name crop up so unexpectedly. But I can understand why an organisation like NCEC would have a not so positive view of Sarina Russo. But of course, they both perform vital service with the community.

Nundah Community Enterprises Co-op (NCEC)

We had morning tea at the NCEC cafe, and after that, we headed to the workshop of Bertonni. I have talked about Bertonni a lot. They are a bit of success story out of last years Impact Boom Cohort. I love the work they do in Bertonni. I am thinking of getting one of their vases for myself later in the year. Maybe once they release a coloured vase like the red vase I saw in the workshop!

After Bertonni, we returned to South Bank to check out the Brisbane Tool Library. The tool library is also an alumnus of Impact Boom. I am glad they are doing well because I am all for the circular economy. After the tool library, we had lunch at Food Connect. Food Connect is one of Brisbane’s oldest social enterprises. But the food itself was catered by The Black Card. It was delicious, and I am a bit annoyed my photo of the feast didn’t come through. I really need a new phone!

Our last stop for the day was Logan’s Substation 33 who are e-waste recycling facility that also has an innovation wing. Innov8 Logan has supported such exciting projects as Powerwell, who were the Australian winners of the Pitch at the Palace competition. I was impressed with the whole ethos of Substation 33, including the fact that they get young people and people returning to the workforce job ready and then help them find jobs. It's a great social enterprise.

In terms of Abide, I got to pitch in the bus to the government, social enterprise supporters and others who joined us on the tour. I connected with a few people. Let’s hope they can help us move Abide forward!

The Precinct: Too Many Events!

So I went to The Precinct today because I had signed up for Ignite Ideas Information Session happening in River City Labs. But the packed elevator was full of people who indicated we should get off on level 2, instead of going to level 3 were River City Labs is located. There did seem to be an event in level 2, so I assumed it was the information session. It was not; it was a talk on Quantum Computing!

After thinking about it for a while and consuming copious amounts of cheese, I decided to stick around for the Introduction to Quantum Computing (and where AI fits) by Dr Adam Makarucha. I have a rudimentary understanding of Quantum Computing, but I do not watch the field as much as I probably should. So the talk was fascinating, and I enjoyed hearing about the tools IBM has available. I want to try some of them out and will try to find some time to do so.

As I was sitting there listening to him, I realised that three events were taking place in level 3 of the Precinct, including the Ignite Ideas Information Session! The saturation of events is why we couldn’t make Dev Start Meetup work.. There are just too many meetups, talks and events in Brisbane.

After Dr Makarucha’s talk, I did duck out and listen to what EY representative had to say about the Ignite Ideas grant. It’s interesting. I think I will suggest it to both Abide and Josari, and we can explore the possibility of applying for it.

My MIT Bootcamp Testimonial

We had the opportunity to record a 2-3 minute video testimonial for the MIT Bootcamp. This was my video!

Eventbrite QUT bluebox Accelerator 2019 Demo Night

So yesterday, I found myself in P Block just the QUT Bluebox Accelerator 2019 Demo Night was kicking off. So even though I didn’t have tickets, I crashed the party! Well, at least for a little while. I was feeling pretty sick, so I couldn’t hang around for the pitches. Still, I got a chance to chat with some of the participants. There were familiar faces like Bertonni, who were one of the graduates of last years Impact Boom Elevate+ program. There was also Excise Cloud who are in QUT Foundry with Abide and beat Abide to come second during the QUT Foundry IDEAS Launched Showcase: Pitch 'n' Party.

In addition, I got to speak with Gigshake, who are a digital platform connecting university students to career-relevant paid employment. I remember the terrible job boards from when I was a student. So if they can improve the experience just a little, they would have made a huge difference. But one thing I would like to see on their platform is some way for the students to share their experience with employers. We are too much on the side of employers. But bad bosses can be hugely damaging to young people and a university job board should have emphasis protecting students and teaching them their rights, as much as they should be able helping students gain experience and earn money.

I also spoke a little to Cardlify, who are a digital gift card solution and Software-as-a-Service marketing tool for businesses. I didn’t quite get how they were different from Rewardle. But I wasn’t at the pitch. They probably addressed how they were different. I didn’t get a chance to speak with them a lot.

The last startup I spoke to was Tokens for Humanity, who are a charity using blockchain technology to deliver efficient fundraising and governance applications for not-for-profits. I asked them if their Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash, but they were Ethereum, I was secretly hoping they were paying in Doge coins!

The three startups I didn’t get a chance to speak to where Digital Surge  who are a cryptocurrency exchange platform, specialising in bitcoin trading that is accessible to all Australians. Vanguard Defence Systems who are a defence research and development startup, focusing on creating technology to improve defence force capabilities. Finally, SensaWeb who provide a real-time environmental monitoring solution with an initial focus on radiation area monitoring.

I learnt this morning that Bertonni was the winner of the demo night! That’s impressive returns for Impact Boom Elevate+ cohort from 2018. Because Chatloop, who were also alumni of cohort 2018 won UQ iLabs Germinate 12 Pitch Night. Let’s hope Abide is as successful post-Elevate+ as much as Bertonni and Chatloop!