ANU teams recognised at InnovationACT Awards

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

The ANU teams, Jazz for Joy, Pixelated Induction and Wildlife Drones, 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.

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.

His team is developing a wireless charging solution for personal electronic devices that can be integrated into public furniture such as cafes and airport lounges.

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.

Glen Hassett, Senior Manager of the Innovation Team within ACT Government's Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate and also a judge for this year's InnovationACT program, commended the teams and recognised the part they played in shaping Canberra's innovation community.

"InnovationACT gives young innovators and entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop real world skills in developing a business idea using lean start up methodology," said Mr Hassett.  

"The ACT Government supports InnovationACT because it provides a clear pathway for participants into the broader innovation ecosystem in Canberra and it also contributes the government's vision of Canberra as a city that embraces innovation and entrepreneurship."

Congratulations to all the 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.
• Crick Films: A media production company offering transmedia, multi-platform storytelling.
• GhostBolt Games: An independent video games company currently producing their first title "Scrapper".
• StakTask: A workplace game to help simplify and automate task management.

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