PITCH COMPETITION 2023 SPONSORED BY SCAPE
Applications are now closed for the 2023 Study Melbourne Future Founders Pitch Competition, brought to you by StartSpace and sponsored by Scape.
The Pitch Competition welcomes applications from current and former international students (within 5 years post-graduation) from a Victorian education provider. Applicants submitted their best 3-minute pitch for a chance to win up to $5,000 AUD!
5 finalists presented their pitch live to the audience and a panel of judges at the Pitch Competition Final at the Future Founders Festival, 24 November 2023 at State Library Victoria.
The Prizes in 2023 thanks to Scape
- First place - $5,000 AUD ex GST and 6 months StartSpace Loft membership
- Second place - $3,000 AUD ex GST
- Third place - $1,000 AUD ex GST
Pitch Competition Winners of 2023
The Winners from the 2023 Pitch Competition are...
First place – Yen Tien Yap, Co-Founder of Sano Technologies
Second place - Daniel Pham, Founder of Iden Project
Third place - Jieling Deng, Co-Founder, Peer Career
Study Melbourne and StartSpace would like to thank Scape for sponsoring the Future Founders Pitch Competition for 2023.
Pictured (from left to right): Chris Nunn, General Manager Environment, Social and Governance, Scape, Jieling Deng, Yen Tien Yap, Daniel Pham and Caroline Hartnett, Acting Director Study Melbourne and International Education
Information Session
This video recording is from a Pitch Competition information session that was recorded on 20 October 2023 providing information and tips on how to apply, including some Q&A from the audience. Please note applications are now closed for the 2023 Pitch Competition.
If you have questions about your application please email: [email protected]
PITCH COMPETITION DETAILS 2023
Please note: Applications are now closed for the 2023 Pitch Competition
The Pitch Competition applications required a 3-minute (maximum) video and slide deck (maximun 10 slides) pitching your business, outlining the problem you are solving and the progress you have made while addressing the judging criteria below.
The applications are being assessed and up to 5 finalists will be shortlisted to participate in the live Pitch Competition Final which will take place at State Library Victoria on Friday 24 November, 2023 (5.00pm-9:00pm AEDT).
A panel of expert judges will review the pitches with time for live Q&A with each finalist. The winners will be selected and announced at the evening celebration event after a judges deliberation.
The Judging Criteria
The judges will review the pitch videos and presentations based on the following 5 key criteria.
1. Overall quality of your Pitch and Pitch Deck (30%):
Your pitch is delivered in a clear, confident, engaging and interesting way. Your pitch deck is professionally presented with clear
content and structure as well as good quality graphics.
2. Market & Problem (20%)
You demonstrate an understanding of the target audience and the problem you are solving for them.
For example: “We know that international students just like Prayansh who are arriving in Victoria for the first time need … [list a problem unique to your audience]”
3. Solution (20%)
You clearly explain how your offering, service, or product solves this problem including a description of any positive social or environmental impacts your startup plans to generate.
For example: “[Your product/service] … is making the experience of settling into Australia easier for new international students like Michael by … [explain how your solution works]”
4. Team (20%)
You describe how your team is particularly setup for success to deliver your solution.
For example: “We believe we are the best team to achieve this because we have a great combination of skills and experience. Our Creative Lead, Keun-Woo, knows how to connect with international students having built their skills in multiple customer facing roles in businesses serving international students, our Tech Lead, Leila, was part of the software development team behind the successful app XYZ… etc.”
5. Traction (10%)
You demonstrate what have you achieved so far.
For example: “We have proven that students need and want our solution. We already tested the BETA version of our app with 20 students and they all had a positive experience”
Please take time to read the full details about the competition provided in the Terms and Conditions page.
If you have submitted an application - Best of luck!
If you haven't yet make sure you get your free ticket to the live Pitch Competition Final at the Future Founders Festival evening event.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Have you got any questions about the 2023 Future Founders Pitch Competition? Hopefully you will find the answers below. If you still have questions please email the team at StartSpace: [email protected]
Pitch Competition Winners 2022
The Winners from the 2022 Pitch Competition
First place – Inspiring Chats (now Bekko), pitched and accepted by Co-founder Eugenia Yuan
Second place - Stint, pitched and accepted by Sabrina Leung
Third place - Plante, pitched and accepted by Founder Nguyen Hanh Nguyen