Queensland entrepreneurs dominate the final field at pitch comp

Three Queensland startups are today (Friday) pitching for the chance to represent Australia at the 2017 Creative Business Cup in Denmark later this year.

Brisbane-based innovators Creatively Squared, Pluss and Folktale are three of the four finalists at this year’s Creative³ Pitch competition, run by QUT Creative Enterprise Australia (CEA).

Speaking ahead of the event at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch said this is a unique opportunity for emerging entrepreneurs to draw the attention of early-stage investors.

“Attracting the right investor to assist with product and market development, especially scaling into global markets, is the name of the game for our tech innovators,” Ms Enoch said.

“The Palaszczuk Government is keen to help Queensland entrepreneurs fast-track their growth as quickly as possible. That’s why we’re supporting this year’s competition with a $25,000 grant from the Advance Queensland Startup Events and Activities Fund.”

“We have a tremendous amount of talent in the creative tech space here in Queensland, and elsewhere in Australia, and competitions like this are ripe for fruitful collaboration to take place.”

“These young businesses have the potential to be employment powerhouses of the future, and today’s event could be the big break they need to take their ideas around the world.”

One of the Brisbane-based finalists Creatively Squared has developed a digital platform that connects businesses with a global network of talented content creators.

Co-Founder Ruth Stephensen said scaling the business globally required solid and trusted connections with overseas investors and mentors.

“Ask any startup founder and they will tell you the most difficult, time consuming and costly part of scaling a business involves building a trusted and secure network of global contacts,” Ms Stephensen said.

“This is why we're investing so much energy in our Creative³ Pitch, because to win something like this has the potential to accelerate our expansion into key overseas markets.”

Pluss co-founder Martin Smee is another Queensland finalist, whose app has been designed by young people, for young people, to help them find “the next exciting thing to do on your doorstep”.

“Our research is telling us that this is something that has potential beyond Brisbane and could be scaled for use in cities all over the world,” Mr Smee said.

“Creative³ Pitch has come along at such a great time for our young company. We’re getting a lot of great assistance in the area of running a successful software company, but with CEA, we have the added bonus of having one of the biggest creative organisations in Australia helping us get started.”

The third Queensland finalist is Folktale, a creative marketplace that connects businesses to customers and a community of mobile-enabled content makers to co-create stories through video.

Regarding Creative³ Pitch, Folktale CEO and co-founder Sarah Mak said, “It provides an opportunity to absorb high calibre national and international talent, learn and inspire. It’s an amazing and intense learning experience for creative startups.”

QUT CEA provides a range of services to assist startups engaged in a variety of industries including design, fashion, entertainment, photography, music, film and television, digital technology, games and interactive content.

Advance Queensland is the Palaszczuk Government’s $420 million suite of initiatives to transform the state’s economy, create knowledge jobs of the future and build Queensland’s reputation as a global innovation and investment destination.

For more information on the Queensland Startup Events and Activities Fund, including how to apply, visit the Advance Queensland website.

Learn about CEA’s Creative³ by visiting qutcea.com.

ENDS
MEDIA: Ben Doyle 0437 859 987