Swinburne University of Technology’s pre-Accelerator program nurtures early-stage ideas
Ten budding startups moved one step closer to achieving their entrepreneurial aspirations and bringing their business ideas to life by presenting their innovative concepts at the 2023 Pre-Accelerator Program Pitch Night.
The night showcased an assortment of startup ideas, including a dedicated learning platform for sustainability, an inventive transport management system and an automated finance solution.
With a focus on fostering creativity and promoting an entrepreneurial mindset, this year’s program offered six weeks of intense coaching and masterclasses for those looking to make an impact in the startup ecosystem.
Vice President of Innovation and Enterprise, Dr Werner van der Merwe, says, “This program has reinvigorated the Swinburne Innovation Studio with a diverse range of participants spanning from ecology to finance to pets. The program is scooping up early ideas and helping them take the first steps towards commercialisation.”
Robin Borchard presenting at the Pre-Accelerator Program night, standing in front of a projector.
Robin Borchard, the founder of Trantsporters, presented at the 2023 Swinburne Pre-Accelerator Program Pitch Night.
Building the missing link in last mile delivery
Last mile delivery is always a painful, expensive and time-consuming part of the supply chain process. Robin Borchard, the Pre-Accelerator winner and founder of Trantsporters, offers a web-based Transport Management System (TMS) to address this.
Robin Borchard says, “Trantsporters aims to streamline logistics operations by connecting shippers, receivers and carriers with an open network of on-demand single pallet transport vehicles, for a faster, cheaper and more sustainable logistics system. The TMS makes it easy for shippers to manage their shipments, receive real-time updates and track their cargo every step of the way.”
Finnlay Morcombe presenting at the Pre-accelerator pitch night, standing in front of a projector
Finnlay Morcombe, the co-founder of Fluency, delivered an inspiring pitch for streamlining financial services process.
Streamlining financial services process
The winner of both the Best Pitch and runner-up prizes, Finnlay Morcombe, delivered an engaging pitch for his automated finance solution Fluency, which saves time, money and resources while creating better documentation.
He says, “Our business aims to solve the issue of manual process documentation in financial services internal operations, which costs the industry millions of dollars per year. Our software allows resources to be re-allocated, significantly increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the business.”
Mariyam Sayers presenting in front of a projector and smiling at the Pre-accelerator Pitch night.
Mariyam Sayers, the founder of Kan Du sustainability, pitched her idea to help SMEs accelerate climate action through capability building.
Empowering small and medium-sized enterprises for sustainability
Around the world, there is an increasing sense of urgency to address climate change. 80 per cent of small businesses recognise the importance of taking action on climate change, but more than half of them report a lack of knowledge and skills.
Another runner-up prize winner, Kan Du sustainability, provides a dedicated learning platform with training and resources for businesses who do not have the financial means for sustainability consultants or in-house sustainability resources.
“The program provided me the with the foundations to validate the problem. The coaching and masterclasses were inspiring and effective in progressing the idea to the next stage. One of the biggest strengths of the program was the selection of cohort, a community of founders with diverse experiences that allowed us to draw from each other and collaborate in meaningful ways,” says Mariyam Sayers, the founder of Kan Du sustainability.
Fostering an innovation mindset for a diverse community
Swinburne Innovation Studio is aiming to foster an innovation mindset to help solve problems faced by industry and society and enabling access to the startup ecosystem for a diverse community.
Director of Commercial Innovation at the Swinburne Innovation Studio, Abhay Seth, says, “The key features of the Pre-Accelerator program are participation, relevance and customisation.
“Having a diverse range of people and ideas is important for cross-learning and sharing experiences. We’re aiming to give participants confidence in their ideas and the ability to pitch them for further engagement on their entrepreneurial journey.”