Queensland innovators buoyed by investor meetings at Myriad

Published Friday, 31 March, 2017 at 12:36 PM

Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy and Minister for Small Business
The Honourable Leeanne Enoch

Innovation Minister Leeanne Enoch announced today (Friday) the door is open for Queensland innovators to reach potential global markets, following promising discussions with Australian and international investors.

Speaking on the final day of the Myriad Festival, Minister Enoch encouraged Queensland regional innovators to connect, collaborate and create with entrepreneurs and investors at the festival.

Minister Enoch hosted a Regional Innovation Lunch at Brisbane’s Powerhouse today and told Queensland innovators to take full advantage of the unprecedented access to national and international investors.

“The Myriad Festival presents an exceptional opportunity to connect with investors from Australia, Asia, Silicon Valley and all corners of the globe,” Ms Enoch said.

“Already a number of Queensland innovators have shown their products and services to visiting venture capital firms and are buoyed by the discussions.

“Through the Advance Queensland initiative and the Myriad Festival we are giving our regional innovators every opportunity to grow and scale new heights through better access to global networks and investors.”

The Palaszczuk Government is supporting more than 120 regional innovators to attend Myriad. One business, Nano-Nouvelle from the Sunshine Coast, develops ground-breaking technology using nano materials.

“The main advantage I see for us in being part of Myriad is the opportunity to meet investors,” said Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Moroz.

“We are currently in the process of raising funds to scale up. To scale up, we need to obtain equipment to help us produce commercial quantities of our product.

“From another perspective, Myriad will also give me an opportunity to look for employees, especially talented people looking for something different as a career,” Ms Moroz said.

Bayro No 1, which develops technology and products to assist people afflicted by dysphagia and feeding difficulties, is one of 11 innovators being supported from the Darling Downs and Maranoa regions.

“We are on the verge of commercialisation – it has taken us seven years of development to get to this point. What we need now is a capital injection to help us scale up and break through,” said Managing Director, Dr Gawie Roux.

“We’re confident that Myriad will help us increase our visibility to potential investors and in doing so enable us to reach professionals working in the field of dysphagia and feeding difficulties and their patients.

“There are more than half a million people in Australia suffering from dysphagia and many more experiencing feeding difficulties,” Dr Roux said.

Managing Director of Beijing-based Pagoda Investment, James Yang sees Myriad as a great opportunity to meet with companies from Queensland.

“This really gives us a tremendous opportunity to get an overview of the way industry is evolving in Queensland and also to meet with potential investment opportunities,” he said.

“We are looking to build a diverse investment portfolio and partnerships spanning a range of areas, including healthcare, medical technology, artificial intelligence, digital technology, big data and broad chain.”

Director of Brisbane-based Purposeful Capital, Monica Bradley said she was on the lookout for early stage ventures with game changing solutions to real world problems.

“The beauty of festivals like Myriad is that collisions happen here that are not possible through any other means,” she said.

“In my view, alchemy results through the interaction of four key elements -- talent, capital, customers and technology and it is all here at Myriad.”

Myriad is the sequel to the successful Advance Queensland Innovation and Investment Summit.

ENDS

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