Swinburne Luminate Program Pitch Night

Join us for an exciting evening at the annual Luminate Program Pitch Night as we showcase the innovative startups emerging from Swinburne students, staff, and alumni.

After an intensive 6 week journey in Swinburne Innovation Studio's 2024 Luminate Program, 11 founders have diligently developed their startup ideas. Now, they're ready to shine as they present their startups to a live audience for the opportunity to win cash prizes.

Come along to be inspired by the creativity and entrepreneurship within the Swinburne ecosystem. Network with fellow founders and industry experts and be among the first to discover the next big thing. Whether you're an investor, a founder, a startup enthusiast, or simply want to support emerging talent, this event promises to be an inspiring and unique gathering of minds and ideas!

2024 Luminate Program Line-up:  

• TheWealthyScholar - Founder: Gaurav Krishna, Swinburne Alumni
• TrialSafeSoft - Founder: Oren Civer, Swinburne Staff 
• Immersive Vision – Founder: Dr Daniel Stainsby, Swinburne Alumni 
• Five3One – Co-Founders: Emily Cook and Georgie Auito, Swinburne Staff 
• MEmory – Founder: Nichakorn Srisupornwong, Swinburne Student
• FaultFinder – Founder: Mehdi Korki, Swinburne Staff
• Moon Milk Bear – Founder: Lucy Lumi, Swinburne Alumni 
• PHOTON – Founder: Andrew McConachy, Swinburne Alumni
• EVEXChoice – Founder: Mostafa Farshchi, Swinburne Staff
• Assure Docs – Founder: Navjeet Nayyar, Swinburne Alumni
• WEfinder – Founder: Shuang Song, Swinburne Student 

Meet the Judges: 

Meet our renowned judging panel, the guiding force behind selecting the winners of the 2024 Luminate Pitch Night! We are privileged to have such an exceptional panel of judges on board.

Maurice Schill, Founder of Lab42 and Product Management Consultant at The Product Bus

Maurice is the founder of Lab42, a company dedicated to helping founders validate their startup ideas, build prototypes and MVP creation. Maurice is also a Product Management Consultant at The Product Bus, where he supports startups in all stages of their journey. Maurice is passionate about exploring ways to use product design to elevate human consciousness and invent new methods to communicate complex topics.

Helen Baker, Founder and CEO of Xolvit

As the founder of Xolvit, Helen is on a mission to revolutionise education by connecting companies with students, empowering them to tackle real-world challenges and unlock new career pathways. Helen serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship. She serves on several Boards and is currently studying a Masters of Entrepreneurship.

Dr Werner van der Merwe, Vice-President, Swinburne Innovation and Enterprise

Dr van der Merwe is reinvigorating the innovative spirit at Swinburne and partnering with industry to generate new revenue, drive innovation and improve the university’s overall financial sustainability. Dr van der Merwe has a PhD in Engineering from the University of Pretoria. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an INSEAD alumni.

Agenda: 

• 5.00pm-5.30pm: Arrival and Check In 
• 5.30pm – 5.40pm: Welcome
• 5.40pm – 6.40pm: Pitch session
• 6.40pm- 7.00pm: Judging session
• 7.00pm – 7.15pm: Winner’s announcement!
• 7.15pm-8.15pm: Networking (light food and drinks provided). 

This event is free, but spaces are limited and fill up quickly. Reserve your spot now to secure your seat. 

See you there! 👋