Hype Man - 27 October 2024

Your weekly dose of everything you need to know about the Australian Tech & Innovation ecosystem.

I’m back in Melbourne and here to stay for the summer!

After 4 months on the road, exploring the Tech & Innovation ecosystems of Vietnam, South Korea, the Philippines and India, I’m finally back in Australia. And am very much looking forward to getting back to some routine and reconnecting with my community.

My first week back couldn’t have gone better, dropping straight into the second iteration of the growing behemoth that is SXSW Sydney. Thanks to everyone that welcomed me with open arms and made the event a raging success. You can read more about my opinions on this year’s event here

I continued the momentum with a huge week in Melbourne, with 5 events across 2 days, including AWS & Startup Daily’s inaugural Unicorn Day, which saw over 400 Founders and Operators in attendance for a day of inspiration and connection.

It’s so good to be back and I can’t wait to share the summer ahead with you all!?

Until then, enjoy and Travel Safe!

Dickie Currer - Author & Hype Man for the Australian Tech & Innovation ecosystem

Top headlines from the week?

The launch of Hype Man 2.0

I’m stealing the first of this week’s headlines, with an exclusive story from yours truly. After 19 editions of the Hype Man newsletter on LinkedIn, several brand sponsorships and the release of my first Hype Man merch (more coming soon) - I’ve decided that it's time to go all in.

With the Hype Man becoming its own Media and Content House - with one purpose:?

To showcase the best of Australian Tech & Innovation to the world!

Hype Man 2.0 will be more of what you love:

• More content and stories
• More exclusive promotions and giveaways and?
• A lot More community love

Jump on our landing page and Sign up here for early access to the community and stand by for more updates!

Thanks for all the support I’ve received in the past year from this community. I can’t wait for the next leg of this journey with you all!

E3 Entrepreneurship Unconference?

Next Week Australian EdTech and Social Enterprise Young Change Agents will be taking its Entrepreneurial Education program Global by hosting a 3-day Unconference at the new University of Tasmania, Inveresk Campus in Launceston.

With Educators from 5 continents flying into Tasmania for a program focussed on cross border collaboration and showcasing the best of Australian Entrepreneurial Education.

Over 27 workshop sessions, attendees will explore place-based entrepreneurial education around the themes of Digital + Industry, Equitable Access, Resilience, and Sustainability.

Young Change Agents CEO & Co-Founder Margaret O’Brien remarked, “Our ambition is to reach 2 million young people worldwide with entrepreneurial education by 2030…we will be joined in Tasmania by our partners from India as well as our Global Scholarship recipients from the USA, Panama, Ghana and New Zealand. These partners will share their insights and experiences, and will participate in immersive activities ready to pilot Young Change Agents programs in their schools in 2025.”

I’ll be in attendance and covering the event for next week’s newsletter, so stay tuned!

Black Sheep Cycling & Little Phil team up for Movember

Black Sheep Cycling, a popular Brisbane-based cycling and running apparel brand, has partnered with Little Phil to support the Movember Foundation through the innovative Shop & Support app.?

In just a couple of weeks, Brisbane-based cycling and running apparel brand Black Sheep raised thousands for the Movember Foundation by donating 1% of each online order through the app.? This early success is just a glimpse of the ongoing commitment by Black Sheep to its ‘Do Good’ program, which has raised over $304,743.54 for charitable causes to date.?

With the help of Shop & Support, these figures are poised to grow as the brand ramps up its fundraising efforts for Movember, using the app's scheduling features to further engage customers and support men’s mental health initiatives.

Little Phil is on a mission to double philanthropic giving in Australia by 2030. "Our vision is to provide nonprofits with access to alternative and sustainable fundraising streams," says Matias Salinas, Partnerships Manager.

You can support Little Phil reach that mission here.

7 Startups that I’m excited about this week

This week we’re covering not 5 but 7 Startups!

The 7 incredible Startups that brought the house down at last week’s SXSW Sydney Pitch Grand Final! Connect with them and give them some love and support:

1. Outread

Are on a mission to make knowledge accessible for all. Their AI-powered research and insight discovery platform makes it easier to discover and digest cutting-edge research papers in different industries.?

Outread highlights the significance of each piece of research and its impact on the world, making it easier for users to stay informed and make informed decisions.

Download their new mobile app today

2. Dermr Health

DermR Health aims to prevent 1 billion skin biopsies by combining a world-first, non-invasive microneedle patch technology with genomics. Addressing the growing global challenges of inefficient skin cancer diagnosis, where 40% of biopsies are benign and could be avoided.

The DermR? Patch also supports Next-Gen Sequencing, expanding application into hundreds of other skin diseases setting new standards in dermatology and beyond.

Connect with their journey here, which will see Founder Stefan heading to SXSW Austin next year to represent Australia after winning the pitch Grand Final.

3.? SpaceDraft

SpaceDraft revolutionises the way ideas, plans, and strategies are communicated. Their interactive and collaborative tool empowers individuals and teams to create captivating visual representations that inspire action and drive success.

Whether you're in project management, strategic planning, or education, SpaceDraft helps you unlock the power of visualisation, gaining clarity, making informed decisions, and achieving outstanding results.

Join the ranks of visionary organisations and professionals who harnessed the transformative potential of SpaceDraft.

4. Laundry Lady

The Laundry Lady connects busy people with a door to door laundry service at the click of a button, serviced by a team of 300+ Laundry Ladies and Lads who turn their washing machines into money makers!?

I wrote about The Laundry Lady back in my SomethingTech edition after they won the “Best in Product and Business” at this year’s River Rivals pitch night. Founder Susan Toft has since gone on to be named “Founder of the Year” at the Woman in Digital Awards.

At SXSW Susan was pitching her new platform TimeBoss, which is revolutionising booking logistics and operations for service businesses like hers.

Connect with Susan here to follow her incredible journey.

5. WaveX

Backed by more than 20 years in the offshore engineering and renewables industry, WaveX is an innovative renewable energy business.

Founder Simon Renwick is developing a new generation of wave energy technology that targets deep water, and is scalable, durable and commercial.

Developing a renewable technology that breaks through existing barriers and opens up the other 50% of the planet - our deep oceans.

Read more about this incredible technology here

6. Airee

Airee Felt LLC is a pre-seed Mongolian startup founded in September 2021 with the mission to pioneer nature-inspired biotechnology innovations for humanity’s most fundamental needs, starting with clean air.?

With 10 times more sheep than humans, Mongolian wool is a cheap raw material. We've created a patented wool air filter that's 100% biodegradable. After piloting with air purifier devices using wool filters in Mongolia, they’ve just launched a factory and are getting ready to provide rolls of material to filter manufacturers abroad in a B2B model.

Check out Airee on VentureCrowd here

7. Ovum

The team at Ovum are working on closing the gender health gap - a $1 trillion problem.

By creating the first ever Personal Health Assistant powered by A.I to support women. Changing the future of healthcare, advocacy, and access to personalised medical knowledge.

Learn more about their incredible app and support their journey here

Want your Startup featured in a future newsletter edition? Fill out this form now

Events to watch out for

There’s some huge events coming downstream in the next month, check them out below and be sure to come and say hello if you see me there!

October 28-31 - Cremorne Tech Week - Melbourne

Cremorne Digital Hub is proud to bring you the inaugural Tech week, a week-long, place-based event that will harness the remarkable digital capabilities and creativity of the Victorian tech community, comprising a series of CBD based events which will be enhanced by a series of regional activities in the surrounding weeks

See the full program and get involved

11-13 November - National Tech Summit - Melbourne?

The Tech Council’s annual National Tech Summit will present an inclusive and exciting vision for Australia's tech future. The summit will focus on identifying critical policy areas for future-enabled tech ecosystems and outlining pathways to enhance capability and attract investment in evolving and emerging industries.

Member and non-member tickets can be purchased here

19 November - Venture Cup Pitch Night: Swinburne Elevate Program - Melbourne

After an intensive 12 week journey in Swinburne’s Elevate Program, 7 startups are ready to pitch their innovative solutions to a live audience at the annual Venture Cup Pitch Night! ??

Join us at the RACV City Club, and be inspired by the creativity and entrepreneurship within Swinburne’s ecosystem.

I’ll be Emceeing this event if you need another reason to join us! Grab your free ticket here

19-20 November - Humanitech Summit 2024 - Melbourne

Australian Red Cross Humanitech’s flagship event at the intersection of technology and humanitarian action.

Grab your free ticket for this 2 day event at the State Library of Victoria which is run in association with the Telstra Foundation here.

Want your event featured then tell us about it here

Open Opportunities

Teens in Business Awards - applications now open

The Awards which are now in their 4th year celebrate youth entrepreneurship across Australia, recognising their innovation, resilience, and impact.?

There are also categories for entrepreneurial educators and mentors, acknowledging those who support youth in bringing their ideas to life.

Entries close on 13 November 2024. Here’s how you can get involved:

? By nominating any incredible young people (aged 10-18) or adults you know for an award

? By promoting the awards through your channels so we reach as many people as possible

? By connecting me with anyone who you think can help support getting this message out further

Read more about the awards or nominate someone who you think deserves to be recognised here

Like what you read? then we’d love you to connect with us further

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• Website

Until next time!

Dickie