2018 — 2019 · In early 2019, we celebrated the opening of the ICC in Whyalla, our latest...

2018 — 2019

ANNUAL REPORT

CONTENTS

ABOUT THE ICC 4

SNAPSHOT 8

OUR PEOPLE

Key staff 8

Affiliates 9

Entrepreneurs in Residence 10

SUPPORTED COMPANIES 12

WHYALLA 14

PROGRAMS

Venture Catalyst 18

Venture Catalyst Space 19

Case studies 22

Ignite SA 28

PUBLIC EVENTS

SCOUT 34

Yuri’s Night 35

NASA Space Apps 35

Pitch@Palace 36

IMPACT 39

OUR PARTNERS 40

University of South Australia, Cancer Research Institute

ABOUT THE ICC

VisionA place of choice for entrepreneurs, small to

medium enterprises, industry and research

to collaborate, engage and test new ideas,

resulting in the creation of new and the

growth of existing enterprises, and economic

prosperity for the state of South Australia.

MissionTo accelerate and support the creation of new

and the growth of existing businesses in South

Australia by providing funding, support and

access, for entrepreneurs, students and small

to medium enterprises, to local and global

services, knowledge, and the commercial

expertise of the University of South Australia,

DXC Technology and the state government.

Established in 2015, the Innovation &

Collaboration Centre (ICC) is a strategic

partnership between the University of South

Australia, the South Australian Government and

DXC Technology to support

technology-based incubation and business

growth in South Australia.

Located in the heart of the Health and

Biomedical Precinct in the Western End

of Adelaide, and a regional hub located in

Whyalla, the ICC engages with the community

through the delivery of targeted workshops

and programs which draw on the research

and professional expertise of UniSA and our

partners, to support new business to start and

existing businesses to grow.

4 5Innovation & Collaboration Centre ANNUAL REPORT 2018 — 2019 Innovation & Collaboration Centre ABOUT THE ICC

SNAPSHOT 2018/19

6 Innovation & Collaboration Centre ANNUAL REPORT 2018 — 2019

491,600

41,1001830

5

15053

OVER

$23.5MILLION

91

workshops, seminars and events

event attendees

website hits

startup companies hosted

individuals supported

companies through Venture Catalyst Space program

companies provided with growth support

new jobs have been created as a result of ICC support

raised in investment/grant funding by ICC supported companies

founders supported

Since establishment in 2015:

ICC team (L to R) Julia Collins, Craig Jones,

Jasmine Vreugdenburg, Georgia Minarelli, Alex

Ferrabetta.

8 9Innovation & Collaboration Centre ANNUAL REPORT 2018 — 2019

Key staff as at 30 June 2018 Jasmine Vreugdenburg Associate Director

Craig Jones Project Lead

Georgia Minarelli Marketing, Communications and Project Officer

Alex Ferrabetta Digital Officer

Miranda Hurren Social Media Officer

Julia Collins Administration and Project Officer

OUR PEOPLEOur Affiliates Kirk Drage Entrepreneur in Residence

Innovation & Collaboration Centre

Terry Gold Entrepreneur in Residence


Dr Jana Matthews ANZ Chair in Business Growth

Director: Australian Centre for Business

Growth

Dr Shruti Sardeshmukh Senior Lecturer

School of Management

Associate Professor Allan O’Connor Associate Professor in Enterprise Dynamics

School of Management

Dr Viraj Perera Chief Executive Officer

UniSA Ventures

Natalie Forde Head of Partner Engagement and Deputy

Director: Research and Innovation Services

Innovation & Collaboration Centre OUR PEOPLE


Kirk Drage

In an exciting close to the 2017–2018 financial year, Kirk Drage was appointed as the inaugural

Entrepreneur in Residence for the ICC until July 2019, leading the space incubator program.

Kirk is the Chief Executive and Co-Founder of LeapSheep, a subscription advisory and startup

building support platform that aims to revolutionise the rate of startup success.

His career has been driven by three keen interests — digital technology, global business models

and human psychology. Since starting a PC business at university, Kirk’s roles have required him

to maintain a deep understanding of leading-edge digital technologies, meaning his expertise has

consistently evolved.

After 12 years at Microsoft holding many leadership roles, including Head of Entrepreneurship

and Venture Capital Relations for Asia Pacific based in Singapore, Kirk spent time in Silicon Valley

developing Artificial Intelligence products and services before returning home to Adelaide in

2015 to launch LeapSheep.

“As an entrepreneur and investor, I’ve made my fair share of rookie mistakes, it’s both

highly challenging and rewarding to help founders avoid these common pitfalls.”

It has long been Kirk’s mission to empower people with the ability to develop global companies,

create jobs, distribute wealth and generate positive social impact. His support of passionate

entrepreneurs with disruptive business ideas made him the ideal candidate for our inaugural

program.

He is also a member of the Science and Industry advisory board at Flinders University and a

former inaugural Entrepreneur in Residence for the City of Adelaide.

During his tenure at the ICC, Kirk has drawn on his awareness of the global market, as well as key

networks and sheer passion to revolutionise the local startup community.

ENTREPRENEURS IN RESIDENCETerry Gold

In May 2019, we were thrilled to announce entrepreneur and mentor, Terry Gold as our second

Entrepreneur in Residence.

Former Managing Director of Techstars Adelaide — the first Techstars Accelerator in Australia and

South East Asia — Terry has received several awards for his entrepreneurial achievements.

He moved to Adelaide in 2016 from Boulder, Colorado to be the Growth Entrepreneur in

Residence at the University’s Australian Centre for Business Growth and is Co-Founder of Gold

Systems — a software company that created speech recognition applications to improve

customer service.

Terry is an invaluable addition to the ICC community, with global contacts and extensive

experience as an entrepreneur and fostering startups. Above all, he’s passionate about passing on

good fortune through investment and mentoring to help others avoid the mistakes he made as a

first-time entrepreneur.

“I was once a young entrepreneur myself and I know how much it helped to be able to talk

to people with the experience of starting and growing a company.”

“If I can play even a small role in the development of a vibrant startup ecosystem in South

Australia I will be delighted. With a new focus on space and defence technologies there is

enormous potential for growth so it’s the perfect time to be here.”

With the likes of Terry now working in residence at the ICC, there’s never been a more exciting

time to be part of the startup community.

Innovation & Collaboration Centre ENTREPRENEURS IN RESIDENCE

SUPPORTED COMPANIES

ICC residents, Culture Team


In early 2019, we celebrated the opening of the ICC in Whyalla, our latest innovation hub based

at the UniSA regional campus, after receiving grant funding from the Australian Government; and

support from the Government of South Australia and the Whyalla City Council. The expansion of

learning, innovation and enterprise has capitalised on vibrant activity in the region which is

attracting new industries and businesses to the area and harnessing local talent across South

Australia.

UniSA Vice Chancellor, Professor David Lloyd says the new centre highlights UniSA’s long-term

commitment to regional engagement and to building hubs of learning, innovation and enterprise

beyond the CBD.

“Creativity and innovation know no geographic boundaries and by providing expert

support for entrepreneurs in-situ in places like Whyalla we can make the most of the

talent and ideas that exists across the whole state.”

With the state government’s gigabit infrastructure available at UniSA’s Whyalla campus, the centre

will give the local startup community access to world-class and high-speed internet and the

space to start building their companies.

We congratulate local Whyalla resident, Peter Borda, who was appointed as the Community

Manager of the new centre and oversaw the launch. We also congratulate Denni Russell who

will hold that role in the longer term. We know that this role will drive the development of the

products and services that the centre is delivering and foster positive engagement between all

stakeholders.

The Innovation & Collabortation Centre

in Whyalla.

What’s on the cards?

The ICC in Whyalla is creating a dynamic pathway for innovative startups to reach their global

capacity by providing educational programs, expert mentors and fast gigabit network speeds to

propel them on a path to success.

In addition to startup activity, the new centre is supporting the growth of local businesses by

providing access to a global network and a series of workshops, programs and other

development activities.

Since it was officially announced, activity has been underway in preparation for the centre to

deliver an inspiring range of programs, events and activities to achieve this, including:

• Hackathons to inspire the local community and nurture business development

• Startup incubator support programs, such as Venture Catalyst, which provides

structured business advice, co-working support and mentoring to founders

• Founder Talks and community events to develop a healthy and vibrant business

development ecosystem, where knowledge and experience can be shared and

transferred.

Program supporters

This program received grant funding from the Australian Government; and is supported by the

Government of South Australia and the Whyalla City Council.

WHYALLA

14 15Innovation & Collaboration Centre ANNUAL REPORT 2018 — 2019 Innovation & Collaboration Centre WHYALLA

APRIL

ICC flagship program

Venture Catalyst opened to

local companies with two

local startups being

accepted and one resident

joining the ICC Whyalla.

22 FEBRUARY

Media release distributed

officially announcing the

ICC Whyalla will open.

JULY

Community Manager Peter

Borda visits locals around

the region on a Roadshow

to promote the centres

activities and offerings.

14 JANUARY

Local Community

Manager Peter Borda

appointed based in the new

centre.

7 FEBRUARYICC Associate Director,

Jasmine Vreugdenburg and

Entrepreneur in Residence

Kirk Drage hosted a

community engagement

session to talk to the local

community about what

they would like from the

ICC Whyalla.

21 AUGUST

Chief Entrepreneur of South

Australia, Jim Whalley, the

Entrepreneur Advisory

Board and stakeholders

from UniSA, government,

the Whyalla City Council,

the business community

and interested locals

officially open the centre.

The launch of ICC Whyalla has been an exciting development for our industry as a whole,

opening the realms of possibility beyond the CBD. Watch this space!

23 AUGUST

The ICC host an

information session about

Startup Weekend Whyalla.

6 — 8 SEPTEMBER

Whyalla hosts Techstars

Startup Weekend. A

competition over a

weekend where people of

all ages and

backgrounds, work

together to formulate an

earlyconcept and

business model.

22 AUGUST

The ICC deliver crash

course Design Thinking

workshops to local high

schools.

18 — 20 OCTOBER

Whyalla hosts NASA Space

Apps, an international

hackathon where teams use

NASA’s free data to solve

real-world problems.

16 Innovation & Collaboration Centre ANNUAL REPORT 2018 — 2019 Innovation & Collaboration Centre ANNUAL REPORT 2018 — 2019 17

INNOVATION & COLLABORATION CENTRE WHYALLA 2019 TIMELINE

It has been a significant year of evolution for

our flagship program, Venture Catalyst, which

develops and grows innovative ideas from

entrepreneurs and startups.

The program now has three streams — an open

stream, which is accessible for any industry

that has a focus on deep technology, Venture

Catalyst Space, which focuses on technologies

that grow South Australia’s space industry

and, those participating in the program at

our regional hub. All streams provide the

support and mentoring for a startup to rapidly

progress their product, idea or service into a

commercial enterprise.

Companies engaged in the Venture Catalyst

Space program also have access to a stipend

and the opportunity to pitch for a sponsored

overseas tour to meet potential investors

and other connections in the global space

ecosystem.

The program is delivered with local startup,

LeapSheep, which was Co-Founded by our

Entrepreneur in Residence, Kirk Drage.

LeapSheep’s targeted support for early stage

ventures aims to make their journey more

achievable, accessible and affordable. They

have provided an exciting new level of support

to our programs, delivering workshops and

their Business Builder program.

The program includes:

• A series of capability workshops

• One-on-one mentoring sessions

• Workspace in UniSA’s $247 million

Cancer Research Institute and

regional hub, including meeting

rooms, kitchen facilities and

gigabit networks

• Membership to the ICC

community of startup founders

and pool of global expert advisers

• Pitch assessment and

development.

Venture Catalyst Space

The space stream of the program is

delivered by the ICC and supported by the

state government’s Space Innovation Fund.

With South Australia selected to be home to

the Australian Space Agency and already home

to over 60 space-related organisations, the

state is committed to further growing the local

industry to create a thriving space ecosystem.

We want to help establish and support a

leadership consortium that is experienced and

capable, to grow this industry and improve its

local and international competitiveness.

Despite the similar structure of all streams of

the program, each one is tailored to the

candidate according to their venture, its stage

of development and what is required to

progress.

Venture Catalyst is also proudly part of the

new initiative, Supporting Innovation in South

Australia (SISA) which allows foreign

entrepreneurs working within the space

industry to develop their concepts in South

Australia by issuing them with a temporary visa,

provided they meet the government’s criteria.

Life changing opportunities

Our first cohort graduated from the Space

program in May 2019, with significant

achievements from all five companies. We

congratulate Ping Services, ResearchSat,

Wright Technologies, Safety from Space, and

Tekuma. It has been our privilege to have you

on board.

Right: Venture Catalyst

Space startup Wright Technologies Bez

Mohammadi and Kosta Canatselis.

Right: Venture Catalyst

Space participant Jibin Jeffrey Dhanaraj

from ResearchSat presenting at the

Venture Catalyst Space Demo Day in May 2019.


VENTURE CATALYST

Innovation & Collaboration Centre VENTURE CATALYST

Venture Catalyst Space graduates with ICC Entreprenuer in Residence Terry Gold & ICC Associate Director, Jasmine Vreugdenburg (left).


Above (L to R): Ping Services Naja

Dohm, Jon Cooper, Matthew Stead, Jake

Bott, Maurizio Demontis, Robby

Ortloff, York Possemiers.

Above (L to R): ResearchSat RaviTeja

Duggeni, Jibbin Dhanaraj (Vikrant

Minhas not pictured).


@Ping_Services

pingmonitor.co

Ping Services is one of the companies that was accepted into the Venture Catalyst Space

program in the past year. The company uses an aero-acoustic device to continuously monitor

wind turbines for blade damage, significantly reducing detection times and repair costs.

Currently, turbine monitoring is carried out infrequently using photography, manual inspection or

drone inspection. Their method relies on satellite communication, which is ideal given the remote

location of most wind farms.

Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Stead, admits that he had optimistic but measured

expectations for the value he’d glean from the startup program, but has been greatly surprised.

“The quality and breadth of the program’s support has given us structure and enabled us

to apply our resources more productively. The program identifies a number of processes

and models for logically approaching our startup, rather than leaving it to chance. Plus,

it’s provided a dedicated space to focus on our business — this has been invaluable and

we’ve had significant developments over the six months.”

During the program, Matthew and his team have employed additional staff, identified a target

market, identified operational improvements and honed their prototype. They have recently

secured $850,000 worth of government grants which will no doubt further accelerate their

revolutionary product.

Rounding out their hugely successful year, Ping Services’ parent company, Resonate, won a

prestigious Impact Award in the South Australian Business Awards, recognising their exceptional

capability as a local company competing at a global level.

Intelligent listening for wind farms

VENTURE CATALYST SPACE GRADUATE CASE STUDIES

@ResearchSat

researchsat.space

Scientific research in spaceResearchSat is an innovative business working on medical research in space — with

developments that will change the health landscape significantly. For Chief Scientific Officer of

ResearchSat, Vikrant Minhas, joining the Venture Catalyst Space program has had a dramatic

impact on developing their venture.

“We had the technical skills to make the product, but not the business skills to take it to

market.”

The team has developed small satellites which can take microbiological experiments to space

in a confined and controlled environment to monitor their behaviour and catalogue any changes.

This research will lead to the development of new pharmaceutical drugs to treat diseases. The

technology has been developed to be viable, accessible and affordable for all researchers.

In the lead up to joining the six-month incubator program, ResearchSat was focusing on product

development and looking for investment. The unique opportunity has allowed them to refine

their focus and presented many opportunities to meet people who may be able to influence

their venture. They have also expanded their horizons and are now looking to expand into the

cosmetic industry.

Chief Executive Officer, RaviTeja Duggineni, is inspired by what he has learnt during

ResearchSat’s tenure at the ICC.

“I’m unbelievably passionate about growing an industry centred on microgravity research

in space. Participating in the Venture Catalyst Space program has opened my mind to

approaching the risk of creating a sustainable business model from a nebulous idea that is

still taking shape.”

Innovation & Collaboration Centre CASE STUDIES

Above (L to R): Safety from Space Dr.

Mark Rice, Gottfried Lechner (Gary Shmith

not pictured).

Tekuma Michael Griffin, Annette

McClelland.


Safety from Space is an ingenious idea that uses space technology to enable people in distress

to immediately call for help from any location. It is a game changer for those in remote location

where wireless coverage isn’t available with the idea different from current beacons on the

market.

The team behind Safety from Space is determined to make the lifesaving technology easily

accessible, with the service being a viable alternative to expensive satellite phones. The product

offers minimal cost hardware that can be carried or mounted on the windscreen of a vehicle.

The technology uses satellites to allow rapid response to incidents which could develop into

emergencies.

Mark Rice, Co-Founder of Safety from Space was working as a Senior Engineering Fellow for an

international company and still in early stages of developing the lifesaving idea prior to being

accepted into the Venture Catalyst Space program.

“I needed mentoring and a progressive environment to get things up and running so that I

could prepare for partnering and investment. Over the six months, my business pitch has

come a long way, benefiting from the mentoring and group training that provided solid

foundations to organise a business and make it scalable. Networking with other startups

and potential partners has also been advantageous to short term progress and paving the

way for long term success.”

Mark has no hesitation in recommending the program to others, noting that despite some

challenges, Adelaide has many strong points for starting a global business.

“For a newcomer creating a new business in a space related area, the help is invaluable

and frankly you’d be crazy if you chose to go it alone. It’s certainly the best on offer in

Adelaide.”

Next generation personal and vehicle emergency radio beacons

@TekumaTech

tekuma.tech

Reinventing tactile controlFor startup Tekuma, the draw to be part of our inaugural program was so strong that they

relocated from Sydney to Adelaide. The company’s flagship project is the development of

revolutionary intuitive hardware which will improve the way humans interact with machines. It is

based on patented technology and custom firmware to process a user’s tactile hand movements.

This sophisticated technology is universal, allowing it to speak to all drones — or other objects

including remote robots or jetpacks — and will allow users to move the device without training.

It is also sturdier and more secure than anything currently in the market, opening up a world of

possibilities for its use in multiple industries.

Previously working from the attic of his parent’s home, Co-Founder, Michael Griffin and the team

had made initial sales and sent out pilot developer prototypes prior to being accepted into the

incubator program. They have been inspired by immersing themselves in a completely new

community and are capitalising on access to both the space and defence industries in Adelaide.

“The Venture Catalyst Space program gave us an entry point into Defence SA and other

influential operators we wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. We landed our first

licencing deal, determined local manufacturing opportunities and expanded our

networks to allow us to target defence in a way we were not able to in Sydney. Plus, we’re

benefiting greatly from doing business in two diverse cities.”

Michael speaks highly of both the program and unique offerings of developing a startup in

Adelaide.

“Particularly if you’re from interstate, the opportunity to immerse yourself in a new market

and receive no-equity funding and city-based office space in close proximity to the

airport is invaluable.

“Extend your runway, improve your focus and invest in yourself and your business by

applying. You’ve got nothing to lose!”

Innovation & Collaboration Centre CASE STUDIES

Above (L to R): Wright Technologies

Bez Mohammadi, Kosta Canatselis (Jason Lu, Rafael

Kourdis not pictured).


@WrightIoT

wrighttech.co

Winners of the global hackathon, ActInSpace, Wright Technologies have had a whirlwind year

developing their business initially concepted to revolutionise our skies.

When starting the program, Wright Technologies were developing a secure identification and

tracking platform that could prove a drone’s identity and position with absolute certainty. The

proposed technology is useable for a variety of industries, including freight and logistics,

autonomous vehicles, and drones.

Their solution, ‘Seraph’, is a unique system for real-time tracking to improve safety, security and,

most of all, reduce barriers to innovation.

Chief Operating Officer, Bez Mohammadi, says the team had limited resources and was having

trouble engaging with the industry prior to being accepted into Venture Catalyst Space.

“Before the program, we were full-time students and trying to work on the startup on the

side. Having an office space, access to funding and business mentoring motivated us to

pursue our dream full-time. The program offered a wide range of networks within the

space and aerospace fields, and other resources to help us grow our company.”

The team were proudly named co-winners of South Australia’s Blockchain Innovation Challenge,

awarding them an incredible $50,000 in grant funding to continue their venture. They are now in

the process of building their proof-of-concept and are planning field trials.

In April 2019, the team decided to pivot away from CASA and FAA as the target customer to focus

on the freight and logistic sector. The company are now actively seeking freight and logistic

companies in the Asia Pacific region to pilot their software platform which can securely track

containers, detect any intrusions and alert the right people immediately. Their software platform,

Akita is part of the Seraph platform, can also be adopted for tracking purposes in other industries.

Preventing cargo theft on a global scale

Right: Sandpit presenting their

application, Cipher, at the US Ignite Summit.

Right: Digital Town Square pilot tenant,

Richard Kwan with ICC Project Lead, Craig

Jones.


Launching in 2017, this partnership between

State Government and UniSA (the Information

Strategy and Technology Services and the

ICC) saw Adelaide as the first international city

to join forces with US Ignite’s Smart Gigabit

Communities program in order to explore the

economic, social and community benefits

of high-speed networks. Our concentrated

population and quality research facilities make

it the ideal location to research, develop, test

and refine innovative applications to solve

modern-day problems.

True to our commitment to being at the

forefront of new technology, the Ignite SA

initiative has continued to make great progress

during the past year.

IGNITE SAA trip to Denver

In an exciting showcase of local talent on an

international stage, three South Australian

companies travelled to Denver, Colorado in

early April for the 2019 US Ignite Application

Summit and Smart Cities Connect Conference

& Expo.

It was a worthy trip for local startups —

Athlete’s AI, a company combining computer

vision and machine learning for athletes to

deliver distinct mechanical advantages over

competitors; Cipher by Sandpit, a visitor

experience platform for museums, galleries

and cultural institutions and; Kiratech, an IT

and software development company putting

recycled car parts online.

Sandpit’s Creative Director Sam Haren

presented at the conference after winning

Ignite SA’s Preserve Challenge with the South

Australian Museum, demonstrating how their

application Cipher can change the landscape

for museums and the like by giving virtual

access to their collections from smartphones

to the 4,000 delegates. Following his engaging

presentation, several attending companies

approached Sam, keen to explore and

develop the Cipher application.

Both Athlete’s AI and Kiratech also signed

agreements with the City of Denver to join

their City2City Landing Pad Program following

the conference, as well as broader interest in

Adelaide’s unique approach to gigabit

infrastructure through SABRENet, highlighting

the role we’re playing on a global platform.

Innovation & Collaboration Centre IGNITE SA


Rewarding developments

In November 2018, we were thrilled to announce the results of the Triple 10 Research Grant — an

initiative designed to progress existing research projects using advanced networks that transform

how we live, work and play. Each receiving a $10,000 top-up funding boost, the three successful

projects were announced as follows.

Jing Gao, Argsen, University of South Australia

In an exciting development for virtual education, Jing’s company, Argsen is collaborating with

UniSA’s Teaching Innovation Unit to develop an Online Video Annotation for Learning (OVAL)

system. Designed to increased engagement, the program aims to improve teaching performance

and advance contemporary education methods.

Nick Falkner, Australian Smart Cities Consortium, University of Adelaide

Associate Professor from the University of Adelaide, Nick Faulkner, is working on the ‘Living Lab’

— a network of sensors, meters and personal Internet of Things (IoT) devices which connect to

create a layer of technology that sits over the physical structures within a project. The technology

will enable researchers to perform technological innovation, field testing and translate Smart

Cities research into outcomes with high value economic and social dividends, leading to the

delivery of world-class programs and global recognition.

Dr Ben Stubbs, University of South Australia

Dr Ben Stubbs, a senior lecturer at UniSA’s School of Creative Industries, is working on an app

that responds to the rise of professional virtual reality (VR) journalism with the construction of an

app and teaching curriculum to progress students to create content VR distribution using mobile

phones.

Showcasing the potential of A.I.In April 2019, UniSA’s ICC supported Ignite SA’s sponsorship of a sold-out event for 150 people for

the Artificial Intelligence Collaborative Network (AICN) which focused on implications of artificial

intelligence for the resource sector. In addition, 40 remote participants from Whyalla, Hobart

and Launceston joined the event via live streams for presentations from both commercial and

research groups.

The event also received extended coverage via Facebook and Twitter from the AICN social

media team, plus highlight video packages of video content later shared on LinkedIn, which

proved popular with over 20,000 impressions of event-related content on LinkedIn alone.

Opening the event, the South Australian Minister for Innovation and Skills, the Hon. David Pisoni

spoke enthusiastically about opportunities for combining smart skills in artificial intelligence and

machine learning, with the primary industries and resource sector.

An inspiring line-up of speakers included: Amelia Froger and Latha Madharri Pratti from Predict —

a French company which recently opened an Adelaide office; Professor David Giles from UniSA’s

Future Industries Institute; Andrew Harris from Consilium — a local startup working in the mining

and resource sector, and; Dr Larissa Statsenko from the University of Adelaide’s Institute for

Mineral and Energy Resources.

In addition to abundant networking opportunities for both speakers and guests, the event proved

to be informative and greatly appreciated, particularly by those in the mining and resource sector.

While most had a general understanding of A.I. and machine capability in their area, the event was

an opportunity to see practical demonstrations and heightened practical use.

Innovation & Collaboration Centre IGNITE SA

Sandpit presenting their application, Cipher, at Hybrid World Adelaide 2018.


Digital Town Square Launch

During the year, Ignite SA also launched their Digital Town Square (DTS) infrastructure — a

revolutionary initiative that will help developers get startup applications off the ground in a

competitive market.

By providing infrastructure including internet, storage and computing power to software

developers, the DTS allows startups to develop their software and get apps to market without

these prohibitive costs.

Available to developers who are connected to Ignite SA until they are in a viable position, it is

supported by Optus, Cisco and uses advanced networks like those from SABERNet, giving them

access to the high-speed GigCity network — one of the fastest internet connectivity hubs in the

world.

Based at the ICC, local startup Kiratech are the pilot tenant selected to work in partnership with

Ignite SA to test and refine the application infrastructure for future use. Chief Executive Officer

and Founder of Kiratech, Richard Kwan says his company has been working on the project to help

the growth of startup success.

“Our goal isn’t just to leverage this opportunity for ourselves, but to also provide

feedback so the infrastructure can increase other startup success stories.”

“We’ve been able to save money by working with the Digital Town Square utilizing its

storage and capabilities rather than paying for it elsewhere. Today, we’re helping appraise

more than 20,000 vehicles per month and hosting more than 200,000 used car parts on our

servers, provided by Ignite SA.”

This revolutionary infrastructure has the potential to change the possibilities for startups and the

speed at which they can effectively operate. We can’t wait to see the results!


Throughout the year, the ICC supported multiple exciting student, startup and entrepreneurial

community events. Each with a specific focus, these events are integral to educating, inspiring

and expanding the startup community.

September 2018 Connecting students with startups

In September, the ICC hosted the second

SCOUT event at UniSA’s Cancer Research

Institute. The event connected some of South

Australia’s most innovative startup companies

with 80 eager students looking to grow their

careers with hands on experience, in a unique

networking opportunity.

Startups were invited to deliver a

three-minute pitch at the event about the

students and staff needed for their business,

followed by a dedicated space for students to

speak directly to the companies about their

interests and experiences. Interested

businesses were supplied with University

contact details to engage students that fit their

needs.

The jam-packed event was a great success,

mutually benefitting both budding

entrepreneurs and eager students. Several

businesses gained interns who have gone on

to become paid staff members, and feedback

overall was that the event was positive and

inspiring for all those who attended. The event

is planned to run again in October 2019.

PUBLIC EVENTS

April 2019 Out of this world celebrations In April, the ICC joined global celebrations of

Yuri’s Night, in honour of Yuri Gagarin being the

first human to venture into space on April 12

1961.

Around 50 attendees donned their best space

outfits for the historic celebrations held at

UniSA’s Futuristic Museum of Discovery, MOD.

enjoying exhibits in the Orbitopia and Cosmic

Living Room. Food and drinks from Food Lore

Kitchen, and an engaging space quiz with

the chance to win exclusive prizes all set the

scene for an out of this world celebration.

Highlight of the night included the

opportunity to hear Andrew Barton, former

Director of Technical Operations for the

Google Lunar XPRIZE, as he discussed

commercial moon exploration in light of the

first ever privately-funded spacecraft launch

occurring on April 11.

October 2019 NASA Space Apps After hosting the event in both 2017 and 2018,

we are excited to continue our support of

NASA’s International Space Apps Challenge.

Locked in for 18–20 October 2019, this

international hackathon for coders, scientists,

designers, storytellers, makers, builders,

technologists, and more in cities around the

world, gives teams the opportunity to engage

with NASA’s free and open data to address

real-world problems on Earth and in space.

Following on from the 2018 event which

included over 18,000 participants at more than

200 events in 75 countries, the 2019 challenge

is set to soar in partnership with the Australian

Youth Aerospace Association and the South

Australian Space Industry Centre.

Innovation & Collaboration Centre PUBLIC EVENTS

His Royal Highness The Duke of York, KG

speaking at the Pitch@Palace event, at

UniSA’s Pridham Hall.

David To presenting his startup Athlete’s

AI at the Pitch@Palace event.


November 2018 Pitch@Palace

In November, UniSA hosted HRH The Duke of

York KG for Pitch@Palace Australia 2.0, held in

South Australia for the first time.

Designed to give new entrepreneurs and

startups invaluable connections to develop

their ideas and innovations by building global

access and connectivity, the event is part of a

global program that was founded by The Duke

of York in 2014. It supports entrepreneurs in

seeking new markets and finding new partners

and investors, building prosperity and creating

jobs globally.

Participants were required to apply online

before being shortlisted to compete in

state-based events, with 13 entrepreneurs

getting through to the Adelaide event. It was a

remarkable opportunity to pitch to a panel of

judges including South Australia’s Chief

Scientist Caroline McMillen, HRH, and an

appreciative audience of around 350 people.

The winners of Pitch@Palace Australia 2.0

were invited to Pitch@Palace Global 3.0 at St.

James’s Palace in London in December and

were given the opportunity to network with

potential investors and influential members of

the international business community.

HRH The Duke of York thanked the

entrepreneurs, saying:

“I am a strong believer that when it

comes to entrepreneurs it is about how

we can all work together to ensure these

businesses have the bestopportunities”.

The Duke also thanked the audience:

“In some respects you are more

important than the entrepreneurs, the

reason being is that you are the people

who make the material difference

to these businesses. While listening

to their great ideas, you will have a

serendipitous moment where you will

know exactly how you can help them”.

We are so proud of all our startups who

participated in this incredible opportunity.

No doubt, they gained invaluable insights and

connections throughout the process and we

can’t wait to watch them progress further.

We’d like to congratulate the companies below who impressed judges with their professionalism and innovative ideas, making it through to ‘Bootcamp’ in Brisbane. Makers Empire

A 3D design and printing learning program introducing 3D printing to primary school students in

the context of Design Thinking.

Athlete’s AI

One of the startups supported by the Ignite SA program, this company uses real-time video

analytics for sports (mainly tennis) using artificial intelligence to help athletes improve their game.

Tiantai Medical Technology Pty Ltd

A company working on detecting Alzheimer’s disease earlier in patients through the detection of

a specific human protein, to improve the quality of life for older people.

The Village Foundation

An application to create a modern-day village to empower women by connecting them with

other mothers in order to increase family wellbeing, decrease postpartum distress and facilitate a

strong transition back to work.

Safety from Space

Graduate from the Venture Catalyst Space program, this startup designed a safety system for

those in remote locations too far from wireless coverage, it uses space technology to enable

people in distress to immediately call for help from any location.

Tekuma

The next generation of intuitive hand controller hardware, this device uses patented technology

and custom firmware to enable user’s tactile hand movements to control an object, such as a

drone, with one hand. Created by Tekuma, another graduate from the Venture Catalyst Space

program, it is sturdier and more secure than anything currently in the market and can be operated

by anyone and doesn’t require training.

Verbalize.Science

Using artificial intelligence tools to turn complicated science into easy to understand audio

summaries for increased impact and engagement for research.

Add-Life Technologies

A company aiming to use technology to provide quality care to people who have suffered a

neurological disorder no matter where they are in the world. They have developed ALTO: a library

of six virtual reality environments that assists people who have had a stroke, to regain their life.

Innovation & Collaboration Centre PUBLIC EVENTS


Communication & media

The ICC communicate with their various stakeholders using a number of different platforms.

During this financial year, numbers of website hits and social media engagement grew

significantly.

486FOLLOWERS

AN INCREASE OF 62%

2,596PAGE VIEWS

AN INCREASE OF 387%

117%INCREASE IN

POSTS

Facebook

454%INCREASE IN MEDIA

STORIES MENTIONING ICC, ACTIVITIES &

STARTUPS

2MILPEOPLE REACHED BY

NEWS STORIES

$234,000ACCUMULATIVE

ADVERTISING VALUE

News & media

123%INCREASE IN

WEBSITE VISITS

41,100PAGE VIEWS

Website

914FOLLOWERS

AN INCREASE OF 52%

175%INCREASE IN

IMPRESSIONS

345%INCREASE IN LINK CLICKS

235%INCREASE IN

RETWEETS

Twitter

News articles

IMPACT

Adelaide hackers are made of the Wright stuff say global judgesRICHARD EVANS

THE sky is the limit for fouryoung Adelaide innovatorsafter their vision of a worldpopulated with workingdrones drew international rec-ognition.

The “Wright Team Inco-portated” is flying high afterseeing off competition from 32countries to win the globalActInSpace hackathon at theToulouse space show.

The foursome — AdelaideUniversity students KostaCanatselis and Bez Moham-madi along with BAE System’sMichael De Angelis and LevinLian who works for SAAB —came up with a unique tamperproof system for drone regis-tration with real-time tracking— Seraph — so that at any onetime, all airborne drones,

b l d i tcan be logged in termsof departure and des-tination.

With aroundseven million dronesforecast to be in theskies by 2020, accord-ing to the Civil Avi-ation Safety Authority,the Wright team saw an oppor-tunity when UniSA’s Innova-tion & Collaboration Centre(ICC) ran the first Australian24-hour event in May wherethe winning team would betaken to France for the worldfinal.

The team worked on a chal-lenge set by French SpaceAgency, Centre National

D’etudes Spatiales (CNES), tocreate new innovative tracea-bility services.

“We all met at hacka-thons around Adelaide. Ittakes a certain type of personto do well at these events,” MrLian said.

“We named ourselves afterthe Wright brothers (Orvillewas an early contender). Iworked for 24 hours non stop,you have your best ideas at1am just as about to turn in andthen you can’t sleep.

“We are interested in theecosystem of drones, which are

really flying robots. There is abig potential for drones be-yond the recreational, such asautomated delivery, taxi servi-ces, policing. We want to de-velop that ecosystem, to seehow drones flying past yourfront door would look.”

Around 2200 people tookpart in the initial events with550 teams across 35 countriesand 70 cities.

After the Wright team wonthe only Australian ActIn-

Space event, they went toFrance in late June for thefinal.

“The judges there weremore interested in the businessside — how we can commer-cialise it — than the techno-logy. We have been in touchwith a few stakeholders since,we want to take it forward.”

SA Space Industry Centrechief executive Richard Pricesaid the win highlighted SA’svibrant space ecosystem.

“There is so much happen-ing in the space industry inAustralia,” he said.

“This huge win will opendoors for the team and it showsthere are opportunities in thisexciting industry that can startright here in SA.

“We are continuing to buildon our industrial academia andresearch and development todemonstrate why SA is the un-disputed champion of this in-dustry.”

Dronesflying pastyour front

door

Page 1 of 2

14 Aug 2018Adelaide Advertiser, Adelaide

Author: Richard Evans • Section: Business Journal • Article Type: News ItemAudience : 112,097 • Page: 24 • Printed size: 497.00cm² • Market: SACountry: Australia • ASR: AUD 7,393 • words: 484 • Item ID: 994687047

Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.

Innovation & Collaboration Centre IMPACT

OUR PARTNERS

University of South AustraliaThe University of South Australia is Australia’s

University of Enterprise, engaged with the

world and responsive to its need. The ICC

is an example of our approach to being

innovative and an enterprising organisation.

The ICC enables students to connect with

industry providing a pathway for real-world

experience while also providing a space for

the incubation of new ideas. The ICC also acts

as a key focal point for industry engagement,

providing a front door for industry to connect

with the research and professional expertise

of the University. Supported through the

world-class Business School, it’s a partnership

which champions the growth of SA’s business

sector through a collaborative, dynamic and

supportive environment.

DXC TechnologyIn April 2017 the IT Services division of Hewlett

Packard Enterprise merged with Computer

Sciences Corporation (CSC) to form a new

entity, DXC Technology. As a combined

entity, DXC Technology has been harnessing

the brightest people and best ideas to bring

innovation to Australian people and value to

the Australian economy for 50 years. DXC

provides Australian businesses with best-in-

cloud, mobility, security services, application

development, IT services, big data analytics

and business process services across a range

of industries. DXC is passionate about the

future of education in science, technology,

engineering and math (STEM), and about

developing future industry leaders.

Government of South Australia

South Australia is forging a path to prosperity

built upon innovation and entrepreneurship.

Whilst advanced technologies are inherent

to innovation, our agility, adaptability and

creativity will be essential to exploiting new

markets and scaling for growth. The South

Australian Government recognises that

collaboration between education, research,

industry and government enable powerful

new opportunities which benefit students,

companies and the economy through new

jobs and new enterprises. The ICC epitomises

these types of partnerships serving as a key

resource within the support network, to

connect students and entrepreneurs with

innovation-driven businesses to spur new

high-growth enterprises.

40 41Innovation & Collaboration Centre ANNUAL REPORT 2018 — 2019 Innovation & Collaboration Centre OUR PARTNERS


Level 2, UniSA Cancer Research Institute

North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000

icc.unisa.edu.au

P: 08 8302 7368

E: [email protected]

Twitter — @ICCUniSA

facebook.com/ICCUniSA

linkedin.com/company/innovation-collaboration-centre/

CONTACT THE ICC

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