Startups get ready to pitch for VC funds

APPLICATIONS have opened for startups in the Surf Coast, Geelong and the Bellarine to secure an opportunity to pitch to some of Australia’s leading venture capital funds.

Organised by Ripple Surf Coast and part of the Geelong Small Business Festival, the Surf Coast Impact Pitch Party will see businesses pitch in front of a live audience in Torquay next month, as well as to a notable selection panel including Simon Wright from Intervalley Ventures, Mariam Issa and Chad Stephens from Kenobe, and Gretchen Gibson from the Surf Coast Shire.

Ripple Surf Coast was founded during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown with the aim of bringing together businesses that were using their venture as a force for good and creating positive impact in the community with a series of events in the Surf Coast region and beyond.

The Surf Coast Impact Pitch Party will be Ripple Surf Coast’s fourth event this year, following the success of May’s Sustainable Startup Pitch Party.

Online financial education and coaching startup Cashflow Co was crowned the winner of the previous Pitch Party, alongside Wet Dog, a startup selling eco-friendly products for dogs.

Both businesses were awarded a startup pack valued at more than $10,000 including invaluable one-on-one investment meetings with Giant Leap VC and Intervalley Ventures, alongside legal support and co-working space.

Cashflow Co co-founder Terry Condon said winning the pitch gave his business the confidence that Cashflow Co was in fact filling a real need that exists and was felt by many.

“The pitch party has given us fantastic access to some very impressive people who can advise us on ways and means to achieve our goals, while avoiding preventable mistakes.”

Founded in 2019, Cashflow Co takes a unique approach to changing money habits by combining the timeless principles of personal finance with the best insights from positive psychology, behavioural science, and game design.

In three years, the startup has grown its team to six and has grown its revenue 100 per cent year on year, alongside the success of its podcast The Passive Income Project, which to date has more than 220,000 downloads.

The Surf Coast has been the catalyst for several business success stories, including Rip Curl, which was founded in 1969 and sold to Kathmandu for $350 million in 2019, as well as Quiksilver, which is now the world’s leading outdoor sports lifestyle company.

Chosen applicants will have the opportunity to go through pitching training and potential investment packages from partner organisations to help propel their venture forward.

To apply to pitch, head to ripplesurfcoast.org/register-your-business.

To purchase tickets for the Surf Coast Impact Pitch Party, which will be held at Happy Spaces Torquay on September 1 from 6-10pm, head to events.humanitix.com/surf-coast-impact-pitch-party.

The Surf Coast Impact Pitch Party event is part of the Geelong Small Business Festival and is supported by the Surf Coast Shire.