CeBIT Australia’s StartUp PitchFest offers startups a once in a lifetime opportunity 

Business technology startups from across the globe will compete for exposure, investor attention and cash when they take part in the CeBIT StartUp PitchFest, a program where entrepreneurs give a creative pitch to a panel of successful business owners and technology experts including technology evangelist Guy Kawasaki and RedBalloon Founding Director Naomi Simson. 

The StartUp PitchFest held on day three of the highly charged program of CeBIT Australia, the region’s largest business technology conference and exhibition (5 – 7 May 2015), is designed to offer practical real-world experience and opportunities to the hundreds of startup companies involved. It offers entrepreneurs the rare opportunity to meet the key influencers that can catapult startups to global success.

Harvey Stockbridge, Managing Director, Hannover Fairs Australia – organiser of CeBIT Australia, said that the pitchfest is a crucial part of the impact CeBIT makes on the capacity of NSW to produce and promote successful technology businesses.

“This program creates an environment conducive to startups flourishing.

“Not only does it attract international startups but it also showcases NSW’s ability to drive successful startups born from NSW’s hub of knowledge, passion and innovation – three critical ingredients in a startups’ success that are also the three pillars of this program. We will see some stars born this year,” said Mr Stockbridge.

The winner of the CeBIT StartUp PitchFest 2014 was Mohamad Jebara with his company, Mathspace, an adaptive maths program that provides students with guided feedback. Mr Jebara said that since his involvement in the program his business has gone on to achieve global success.

“Since winning the pitchfest in 2014, Mathspace has achieved over 300% growth in less than 12 months. As an Australian startup, we’ve now broken into the US market and are fully operational over there. In addition we now have distributors in the US, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

“The show certainly built hype around our product and gave us the opportunity to have meetings with investors. For startups, such as ours, support like this is invaluable in the early stages of business development,” said Mr Jebara.

Naomi Simson, RedBalloon Founding Director, is focused on ensuring NSW continues to encourage startups and spur innovation.

“Innovation for me always comes back to people choosing to make the world a slightly better place;  it’s our job to keep encouraging ideas; whether it’s kids, colleagues or the tech industry – innovation needs to be encouraged, and CeBIT provides this forum,” said Ms Simson.