Three ANU teams recognised in InnovationsACT Awards

01 Nov 2016

Three teams from ANU were recognised for their innovative business ventures at the InnovationACT Awards Night.

The ANU teams were among six teams awarded a share of the $50,000 seed pool, which will go towards growing and launching their business ventures.

The result was the conclusion of a 10-week educational program, which included presenting a five-minute pitch to a panel of judges and audience.

Professor Michael Cardew-Hall, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Innovation, commended the teams.

"One of the teams was Pixelated Induction, who are developing a wireless charging solution for personal electronic devices that can be integrated into public furniture such as cafes and airport lounges," said Professor Cardew-Hall.

Andrew Jamieson, co-founder of Pixelated Induction and undergraduate student from the College of Computer Science & Engineering, was pleased with the progress his team had made through the program.

"Going into InnovationACT, we had a lot of great tech ideas, but the program taught us how we could develop those into real business ideas and how to create value from what we were doing," said Mr Jamieson.

InnovationACT is an initiative of ANU, and is supported by the University of Canberra, ACT Government and IP Australia. Many organisations from the local startup ecosystem also contribute to the program, as speakers, mentors or offering support services to teams.

"Taking part in InnovationACT introduced us to the startup community in Canberra that we have not had much exposure to previously and that will be really valuable to us as we continue with our project," said Mr Jamieson.

Congratulations to the ANU teams that received funding:

• Jazz for Joy: A social venture connecting local performers to disconnected communities.

• Pixelated Induction: Developing a customisable, large-area charging solution for personal devices.

• Wildlife Drones: The world's first radio tracking drone to assist researchers and conservationists.

For more information, visit https://cbrin.com.au/.