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From a game-changing 100% bio-based leather alternative to tech designed to boost workplace retention, the first Pitch of 2023 was a roll call of inspirational entrepreneurs bringing fresh energy and innovative ideas to the challenges of our day.
On February 23, the latest cohort of standout early stage startups gathered at The Commons in Cremorne, Melbourne, for their shot at up to $100,000 in AWS Activate credits. Here’s a recap of the finalists, the winning pitch, and some of the judging panel’s key takeaways.
ALT. Leather turns agricultural waste into textiles, while minimising greenhouse gases, water waste and resource depletion. Its 100% bio-based and animal-free product contains zero plastics and is made in Australia from Australian ingredients.
Buzz Rewards is a loyalty program for young people that doesn’t rely on credit cards or buy-now-pay-later programs.
Diolog opens up easy, two-way communication between individual investors and listed companies.
Investi Hub provides listed companies with a centralised dashboard through which they can manage shareholder communications and social activity, as well as access real-time data reporting and insights.
SeenCulture is a tech-led solution to the talent crisis. It aims to help unlock employee potential to improve retention rates and maximise business outcomes.
WOOM is a B2B subscription service that helps promote more inclusive, supportive workplaces via free period care for employees. Its loud-and-proud packaging is all part of its mission to remove the stigma and shame around menstruation.
It must have been a tough call for the judging panel, which included Jodie Imam of Tractor Ventures, Christie Jenkins of Blackbird VC, Jun Qu of Main Sequence Ventures, Steve Maarbani of VentureCrowd, and John Kearney of AWS. But ultimately it was Amy Benson, founder of the two-way retail investor communication software Dialog, who took home up to $100,000 in AWS Activate credits and one-on-one mentoring sessions with VentureCrowd’s CEO.
Diolog’s groundbreaking platform addresses a current pain point of investing by facilitating communication between individual investors and listed companies. In doing so, it aims to boost investor confidence and engagement.
“I’m so grateful and so excited to be able to have this opportunity,” Benson said of her big win. “I can’t wait to have it under our belt and further our tech development — especially this year, it’s going to be a really big year for us.”
With so many changemakers in one room, it’s hard not to get swept up in the electric charge of ambition and optimism that crackles and pops at The Pitch. It’s not just the entrepreneurs — the entire judging panel was fired up by the genre-redefining potential of the startups they were reviewing, and by the unique thrill that comes from helping them get their ideas off the ground floor.
As guest judge Steve Maarbani of VentureCrowd put it: “We think that the next period of innovation is going to be the most transformative that we’ve ever witnessed. And for Australia to really take advantage of that, founders need to feel supported.”
Jodie Imam, co-founder of Tractor Ventures, was another passionate advocate of the event. “I think it’s so important,” she said of The Pitch. “This is the way we will drive innovation in Australia and our future economy, so it’s critical.”
The judges had plenty of encouragement and advice to share with budding entrepreneurs both at the event and at large. For example, John Kearney, Head of Startups in Australia and New Zealand at AWS, noted that “Australian startups have really got a great opportunity right now to … leverage the wide ecosystem” of community support that’s available to them.
“We have over 10,000 startups in Australia and NZ, and they’re actually all quite willing to help one another,” he explained. So those entrepreneurs who are willing to reach out to their peers and their network to ask for help will find “that they’re very receptive to provide you some guidance”.
Meanwhile, Jun Qu, of Main Sequence Ventures, urged the next wave of early stage startups to dream ever bigger and aim ever higher.
“I think in the startup space for 2023, I’d just love to see more ambition,” he said. “I want to see more teams going for more wild, aspirational ideas, and really trying to change the world.”
Thousands of the fastest-growing startups, use AWS to build fast, keep costs low, and prove what’s possible. Our leading startup program AWS Activate will help you bring your idea to market. Join now to access credit offers, premium resources, curated accelerator programs, and exclusive deals from AWS partners.
