Regional startups and innovators benefit from Myriad Festival

The Palaszczuk Government will support up to 120 regional Queensland innovators to connect with global innovation leaders and investors at the Advance Queensland Myriad Festival in Brisbane in March 2017.

Myriad 2017 will open doors for more than 100 startups and innovative businesses from across Queensland to showcase their ideas to major corporations and international investors.

Speaking from Rockhampton today, Innovation Minister Leeanne Enoch said the government would help fund startups and innovative small to medium enterprises from regional and rural Queensland to attend the festival in the state’s capital.

“The opportunity for our regional innovators to attend the Myriad Festival will provide valuable access to new investors and customers,” Ms Enoch said.

“We provided this opportunity to 50 of our regional entrepreneurs last year – several walking away with new customers or investors – and all walked away with new contacts, leads and collaborators.

“This year we are doubling the number of regional innovators we will support. This commitment is in recognition of the growing contribution innovators and startups are making to our regional economies.

“We will again work with local innovation centres, councils and chambers of commerce in regional locations to identify local businesses to showcase at Myriad.

“The event provides the state’s startups and innovators with opportunities to connect with international and local investors and we want to make sure that regional Queensland has a strong representation.

“The festival, now in its second year, has an impressive line-up of key entrepreneurial leaders, international investment gurus, guest speakers and presenters. It is a fantastic opportunity to promote Queensland’s best and brightest ideas.”

Ms Enoch joined Rockhampton Regional Council Mayor Margaret Strelow for a tour of the council’s Smart Hub community work space for local entrepreneurs, start-ups and innovators.

“Rockhampton is an emerging hub for startups and entrepreneurs in Queensland and this funding will provide important support for local innovators to showcase their products and ideas to a global network of experts and investors at the Advance Queensland Myriad Festival,” Ms Enoch said.

“Just as importantly, they can then bring those connections and learnings back to the local ecosystem and share that information with more local entrepreneurs.”

Ms Enoch said Advance Queensland funding of up to $50,000 would help support up to 10 people from each of Queensland’s 12 regional areas to attend and showcase at the festival.

Delegates will come from Far North Queensland, North Queensland, Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday, Fitzroy, Outback Queensland, Wide Bay Burnett, Darling Downs and Maranoa, Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and West Moreton, Redlands and Logan and the Gold Coast.

Funding will go towards event tickets, travel subsidies and display space within the Regional Innovators Showcase at the festival.

More information and application forms are available on the Advance Queensland website. Applications close on Tuesday, 21 February 2017.

Myriad Festival 2017 will be held at Brisbane’s Powerhouse Arts Centre from 29-31 March 2017. For more information, including early registration details, go to http://myriad.live/.

Media contact: 0437 859 987