// Three WA startups have earned a place at the top of this year’s Pitch@Palace Australia 3.0 event this week.
Digii, Orthocell and Noisy Guts won over the judges at the conclusion of yesterday’s Boot Camp at Murdoch University, giving them a full three minutes to pitch their idea at the main event (Friday), alongside nine other startups from around the nation.
They’ll also be joined by fellow WA startups Ayla, Exodus Space Systems, Gelavo, Kinchip Systems and The Volte, who will each have 30 seconds on stage before being blown off stage by Pitch@Palace’s famous bugler.
Announcing the results of today’s event, HRH The Duke of York praised the quality of the competitors.
“That was one of the most difficult judging sessions I’ve ever had to referee,” he said.
“I made the suggestion, because everybody is so good, that we should try and split it as far as we possibly could through the sectors, and then through the geographies.
“It still didn’t work.”
HRH the Duke of York, Prince Andrew speaking at Pitch@Palace in Perth
Flying the flag
Noisy Guts is no stranger to success in pitching competitions, having taken out the 2018 WA heat of StartCon’s ‘Pitch for $1 Million’ event.
Based on the work of Nobel Laureate, Professor Barry Marshall, the project combines AI and an acoustic belt to use sound to treat gut disorders.
Paul Anderson pitched for Orthocell and their product CelGro, which they say can be used to repair nerves without surgery.
He said CelGro was able to improve muscle function by up to 80 per cent in otherwise paralysed limbs in clinical trials.
Claire Orange took to the stage with her son Tim to pitch their social media education platform, Digii.
They said their idea has the ability to equip children and teenagers with the skills they need to manage the minefield that is the internet.
Focused on Friday
All eight teams now turn their attention to Friday, where they are all in the running to represent Australia at Pitch@Palace 12.0 in early November.
Medtech startup OncoRes won the top prize last year with the promise of technology that can more effectively remove cancerous tumours.
Speaking to the startups only given half a minute to pitch, Prince Andrew said it could prove to be a blessing in disguise.
“If you could do your pitch in 30 seconds and get your message across, maybe it was easier to just give you 30 seconds,” he said.
“You could view it the other way, which is those of you who got 30 seconds, you know that you can get your message across in 30 seconds.
“You can skin this cat any different way you like.”
No matter how long they pitch for though, the Duke reminded them they’re all still in the running for a visit to St James’s Palace for the final.
“On Friday, the vote from the audience is how it is selected, and it is selected from all of you … not just from those 12 that get three minutes,” he said.
“If you get your message across in 30 seconds and win, I’ll be really pleased.”
You can read more about the winners here, or get ready to livestream Friday’s final on the Pitch@Palace YouTube channel, here.
Voting for the People’s Choice Award is open here, and will close at 3pm on Friday afternoon, Perth time.
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MAIN IMAGE: HRH The Duke of York with Pitch@Palace Australia 3.0 participants. Photo: Keane Bourke, Startup News.
