Australia’s next generation of entrepreneurs
At Wade Institute’s Showcase Pitch Night, Master of Entrepreneurship students stepped into the spotlight as founders of startups tackling real-world problems – a reminder that great ventures grow from great communities of mentors, innovators and changemakers.
Friday 28 October 2022 • 5 minute read
It is an exciting time to be a student graduating from the University of Melbourne’s Master of Entrepreneurship program. As 2019 draws to a close, students are now becoming proud CEOs of emerging businesses, solving important contemporary challenges.Showcase Pitch Night is the highlight event on the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship’s social calendar, attracting powerhouses of the Melbourne startup scene. Months of study and work on their business ideas culminates in the opportunity for students to tell their story and pitch for seed funding and prizes, generously supported by Credit Suisse and MYOB.Our startup founders were the stars of the evening, but the event was also a reminder that new business owners need a strong foundation from which to grow. The success of a young business will in part depend on an open, inclusive and generous ecosystem. To build a thriving startup is the work of a community that can provide access to knowledge, mentoring, customers and capital.In recent years there has been a proliferation of incubator and accelerator programs in Australia. Innovation and entrepreneurship are hot topics globally, and in Australia, there is a healthy preoccupation with where we are going, and what is next. However, there are few ecosystems that are truly communities.
What makes the Ormond and Wade Institute communities so special is that its people are fully invested mentors, investors and advisers who are passionate about problem solving and want to shape the future. They believe in the power of entrepreneurship as a discipline and believe in what we offer as a training ground for entrepreneurs.It is truly a safe space for students to explore their interests and harness the power each of us has to make an impact. Congratulations to ImmuneID, Foodtropia and Wunder for taking out the top awards.Winner of the Credit Suisse ‘Best Startup Pitch’ Award, and MYOB People’s Choice Awards (3rd Prize) – ImmuneIDClare Morgan (pictured with Stephen Pickles of Credit Suisse) and Jason Tye-Din want to translate medical research discoveries into real-world impact. Their startup ImmuneID bridges the gap between the lab and the clinic to accelerate coeliac disease drug development. Many new drugs fail clinical trials because lab tests used in their development poorly replicate what happens inside patients’ bodies. ImmuneID reproduces the patient response in a specialised lab test that can be used to help make new drugs.
MYOB People’s Choice Awards (1st Prize) – FoodtropiaSangeeta Mulchandani, Dario Martinez and Laura Galvis are passionate about helping people develop authentic connections in a digital world. Foodtropia connects people who enjoy hosting dinners and sharing their culture and stories with people who enjoy meeting new people and making connections. It’s a beautiful experience for people to gather, make new friends and learn a little more about themselves and the world through cultural dinner parties. Guests have given amazing feedback and there is a pipeline of guests waiting for more dinners to open.
MYOB People’s Choice Awards (2nd Prize), and honourable mention in Credit Suisse’s ‘Best Startup Pitch’ Award – WunderDr Ashrad Damree wants to design holistic tech solutions that improve experience for patients, doctors and hospitals. Patients are at 82% higher risk of clinical mistakes and 6% increased risk of death within the first week of a doctor starting a new job in an unfamiliar
clinical environment. Wunder wants to change that, providing doctors with all the working knowledge needed to hit the ground running with safety, confidence and efficiency when working in unfamiliar environments.
clinical environment. Wunder wants to change that, providing doctors with all the working knowledge needed to hit the ground running with safety, confidence and efficiency when working in unfamiliar environments.
“To build a thriving startup is the work of a community that can provide access to knowledge, mentoring, customers and capital.”
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