MassChallenge

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (14:48): My question is to the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation. Can the minister update the chamber on the outcomes of the Adelaide Bridge to MassChallenge program held recently?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:48): I thank the honourable member for his question and note his ongoing interest. I recently updated the chamber on the start of the Bridge to MassChallenge program. The Adelaide Bridge to MassChallenge program was held from 2 to 4 November across venues in Adelaide like the Microsoft Innovation Centre on Pirie Street and the Innovation and Collaboration Centre at the University of South Australia.

I understand that this program was a huge success for the participants, with a great line-up of speakers and mentors who participated in the three-day event. The event was split into three themes over the three days. Business models and pitching was the theme of the first day, with speakers like Jon Soong from Makers Empire sharing his company story with participants and his own firsthand experience of the MassChallenge program, where, of course, as I have mentioned before, Maker Challenge participated a year ago in the full MassChallenge program in Boston.

Andrew Leunig, a business model innovation expert and strategy facilitator, talked about business models, and the day wound up with Stuart Hillston, a UK start-up and scale-up adviser, speaking on things like delivering a pitch and practice sessions to the 15 participants who participated in this initial Bridge to MassChallenge program in Adelaide.

Day two involved funding, marketing and growth, and started the morning session with Paul Priess, SA Director of the CEO Institute, talking about marketing strategy. Kathleen Healy from the US shared her knowledge on how to speak to investors, particularly global investors. She is a special adviser to the CEO Global Development organisation and an active Angel Investor and management consultant. Jenny Paradiso, the co-founder of Suntix and SA Telstra Business Woman of the Year, ran a funding panel session.

The final day was devoted to networks and the pitch competition, with Leanne Hobbes, a business strategist from Switzerland, starting the discussion on stakeholder mapping. Later in the day the participants moved to the Innovation and Collaboration Centre where the pitching competition with the 15 participants was held to select winners of the Adelaide program to win a place in the national competition held in Sydney on 14 and 15 November. Following this pitch competition in front of three local and three international judges, five teams from the Adelaide Bridge to MassChallenge program participated to progress to the national finals in Sydney.

I congratulate all five finalists from Adelaide: James Stewart from Kick.it, Ben Flink from Psybersafe, Selena and Matt Woodward from Edufolios, Bryn Nicholls from DriveLight, and Leila Henderson from Freddi. Fifteen teams in total—five from South Australia, five from Victoria and five from New South Wales—battled it out in the national competition in Sydney, and I am extremely proud to say that the five South Australian finalists excelled.

Of the 15 teams, 10 were selected to travel to Boston to participate in the Boston Boot Camp for the MassChallenge program and the South Australian finalists absolutely excelled. Four of the five teams that made it through to the final in Sydney were selected in the top 10 to attend the five-day boot camp in Boston in February 2017. This result is testament to the quality of start-ups emerging from South Australia and is a massive win for the South Australian tech and start-up ecosystem.

I pay tribute to and congratulate Freddi, Psybersafe, Kick.it and Edufolios for making it through what was an exceptionally hotly contested competition. I am confident that they will go on to do exceptional things at the MassChallenge Boot Camp in Boston in February and continue to do great things in the businesses which they have chosen.