Deakin to host startup pitch competition

TECH leaders of the future and young entrepreneurs will make their case in Geelong to win $1 million in investment opportunities when Deakin University hosts a leg of the Asia Pacific’s largest startup pitch competition next month.

Deakin’s Waterfront campus will host the regional Victorian final of the 2018 StartCon Pitch for $1 Million competition on October 25, presented by StartCon and venture capital firm Right Click Capital in partnership with the SPARK Deakin startup initiative and supported by Deakin ManuFutures and the City of Greater Geelong.

More than 600 startup finalists and 400 investors are expected to attend across the 14 finals of the competition, spread across cities in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, China, India, the Philippines and New Zealand.

Participants will be vying for a $1 million term sheet investment agreement from Right Click Capital.

Alfred Deakin Professor Svetha Venkatesh – SPARK Deakin Program sponsor and co-director of the university’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute – will be speaking at the event to share her insights into tech diversity and the future of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Professor Venkatesh’s own work has led to the implementation of two successful startups, including the award-winning iCetena video analytics service, which uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to monitor large video surveillance networks to find anomalies and detect potential security threats.

She said the StartCon event would bring together up to 80 key Victorian startups with founders, investors and community partners from across the region, for one epic day focusing on innovation, insights and long-lasting connections.

Right Click Capital general partner Garry Visontay said the Pitch for $1 Million competition would give local entrepreneurs a direct line to some of Australia’s most active startup investors.

“We’re excited to be involved with StartCon’s Geelong regional event and to help build Australia’s next generation of technology startups.

“There is enormous entrepreneurial talent that lies in Australia’s regional communities and the Pitch for $1 Million event provides access for this talent to reach the nation’s most active investors.”

Apart from the competition itself, the event will also include workshop masterclasses, business expos, a networking party, and keynote presentations from leading start-up players such as AgriWebb founder Kevin Baum.

For more details or to register, head to startcon.com/pitch/c/Victoria.