The West Gippsland Arts Centre (WGAC) was filled with excitement and ideas on Saturday night as 40 participants in the Startup Gippsland program pitched their ideas to industry experts and an audience gathered from around the state.
One after another, quick fire two-minute pitches were delivered showcasing the breadth of knowledge, creativity and entrepreneurship present in our region.
The Pitch Showcase was the culmination of the Startup Gippsland program. The program was a joint project between Baw Baw Shire, Latrobe City, Bass Coast and Wellington Shire Councils, funded by the LaunchVic and delivered by local company, GippsTech.
The 12-week program allowed participants to develop, launch or grow their business through a schedule of masterclasses, workshops, mentoring and meetups. 12 Baw Baw startups took part in the program, including Showcase winner Laura Eddington of Little Bumble.
As stated by Mayor Cr Mikaela Power
“Council is pleased to be delivering programs to help local businesses in Gippsland reach their full potential and create more local jobs. I’ve been so impressed by the quality of the pitches, all the fantastic ideas and the way our startups are reaching their goals across the region.”
As stated by Cr Peter Kostos
“The Startup Gippsland program has been a huge success. Through both the 12-week program, as well as the open/public events, the program has held 58 workshops and events which have helped over 400 participants.”
As stated by Cr Tricia Jones
“Congratulations to all of our winners and everyone who participated in the program and pitched tonight! We’re so proud of all of our startups and can’t wait to see where you go from here.”
As stated by Cr Jessica O’Donnell
“The Startup Gippsland program has shown there are so many talented people right here in Gippsland. Thanks to the team at GippsTech for fostering this talent and allowing it grow. At Council we look forward to continue to offer programs to grow startups in the region”.
Image: From left Laura Eddington from Little Bumble Reusable Food Wraps,
Lucy Nijam from CheckIt, Annebelle van Tongeren from Fern; and Frost and Kristen Robbins from The Worksheds.
