CeBIT PitchFest finalists named

The 10 finalists for CeBIT Australia 2018’s PitchFest competition have now been revealed.

PitchFest is a Shark Tank style of competition giving 10 of the nation’s most promising start-ups the opportunity to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas to an esteemed panel of judges, before an audience of fellow start-ups, investors and potential customers.

The 10 finalists battling it out to win PitchFest are:

• Advanced Catering Solutions
• BenchOn
• Diffuse Energy
• HeadsafeIP
• Inspace XR
• KnowHowHere
• Littlescribe
• Oppizi
• Sourcr
• Ping Data
   

The ultimate winner of the competition will receive a prize package valued at over $20,000. This comprises of a fully paid exhibition stand at CeBIT Australia 2019, three Square Contactless and Chip Readers from Vodafone, a Norton Small Business – 10, which protects 10 devices for 12 months, a US$10,000 Alibaba Cloud credit valid for one year, three months’ free co-working space at Tank Stream Labs in Sydney, a one-year membership to TIE Sydney, and ongoing support and mentorship.

Each finalist will have four minutes to pitch their tech-related start-up idea, followed by a four-minute Q&A session with this year's four judges — Adam Cook, Investment Associate AirTree Ventures; Bradley Delamare, Chief Executive Officer, Tank Stream Labs; Kara Frederick, General Partner, Reinventure; and Noga Edelstein, Co-Founder, UrbanYou.

Previous winners of CeBIT PitchFest have gone on to become multimillion-dollar, multinational companies. The 2017 winner, Look Who's Charging, helps Australians easily identify merchant charges to credit cards. Since showcasing at CeBIT Australia last year, the business has had enormous success and was recently crowned the winner of Money Magazine’s 2018 — Most Innovative Banking Feature Award.

Harvey Stockbridge, Managing Director of Hannover Fairs — organiser of CeBIT Australia — said the annual PitchFest competition is a hugely popular segment on the CeBIT Australia program.

“CeBIT PitchFest has a proud history of unearthing and supporting Australia’s leading technology start-ups and this year is sure to be no exception. It is an absolute privilege to be in a position to help launch the next generation of tech-industry game changers,” said Stockbridge.

According to a report released by KPMG in mid-2017, investment in Australian start-ups is growing significantly, with a noticeable maturation of our start-up ecosystem.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Small Business John Barilaro said nine out of the 10 finalists were NSW-based start-ups, including six companies that have been supported by the NSW Government-backed Jobs for NSW.

“Start-ups and small businesses are the big job generators of our economy and events like PitchFest help unearth and launch the best new companies of the future,” said Barilaro.

“Congratulations and best of luck to all the finalists, your breakthrough technologies demonstrate the breadth and excellence of the start-up community in this country.

“The NSW Government’s support for CeBIT Australia and for our start-up industry will continue to grow our state’s global reputation as a technology industry leader.”

PitchFest is one of Australia’s premier start-up launch platforms, showcasing innovative talent and pitch presentations held on the FutureTech Stage from 2.00–4.15 pm on Thursday, 17 May, wrapping up the three-day CeBIT Australia 2018 event at ICC Sydney.

Image caption: CeBIT Australia 2017 PitchFest.

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