Some of the Hunter region’s most exciting founders pitched their innovative ideas over the past few weeks of June at the Business Centre’s Start House program Pitch Nights in Newcastle, on the Central Coast, and in Singleton and Maitland and gave an inspiring glimpse into the future of innovation in our region.
All the founders who pitched are part of the Ideation phase of the Business Centre’s Start House accelerator program and all made a huge impression on the judges and members of the business and innovation communities who attended.
CEO of the Business Centre, Steve Wait, said he was thrilled with the standard of the pitches and of the connections made at each event.
“The Business Centre’s Start House program provides its cohort of Hunter and Central Coast based entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop their business idea and their pitch,” he said.
“Our first Pitch Nights in Newcastle, on the Central Coast and in Singleton and Maitland saw some amazing pitches – and as a result of these events some invaluable connections made.”
“Startups including Accessibility in the City, 25 Doors, Bee Innovative, Sharkview, My Sequester, Cyberbund, Jazoodle, Kompozition, Spewy, My Bestie Kitchen, Uuko, Arty Jobs, Baby Peg, Orchard School Systems, Akademates, Cyferlinx, Amber Barrel Meadery, pitched their innovative and globally-scaleable ideas.”
“We were excited to bring together such a diverse group of companies launching their ideas in many different industries including the environment, tourism and agriculture, technology, health and engineering. We were even more thrilled that these innovators were so very well received by those in attendance at the Pitch Nights.”
“At our Pitch events we bring together a robust audience of business leaders, connectors and investors and at all of our regional Pitch Nights this audience saw the value and promise in these companies and life-changing conversations were had,” he continued.
Steve said that the next move for Start House is the beginning of its Accelerator program, a more advanced program which will see founders able to access Experts In Residence, business mentoring and advisory services and to vie for a chance to pitch at a Pitch Night in Sydney later in the year.
“The Hunter and the Central Coast are home to some brilliant ideas and really incredible companies who are making their mark on the national and international stage and we saw a selection of these companies step into the limelight at our Pitch Nights,” Steve said.
“After the huge success of our Ideation phase we are excited to see who applies to be part of our Accelerator program.”
“The Start House program shows our commitment to supporting high value businesses in the Hunter – to helping them scale up but also to allowing them to retain a base in our region which is important for our ecosystem and economy,” he said.
Stave Wait said that applications for the Accelerator program were now open and if founders thought the program could be for them they should put forward their application.
IMAGE | Angel investor Glenn Turner, Brad Gorton from Gorton IP, Cheryl Gledhill from Blue Chilli and Brendan Swansborough from the Enigma Agency were the esteemed judges at the Business Centre’s Start House Pitch Night in Newcastle. (left-right)