The WedgePro team, which is inching closer to completing the final design of its golf training aid, hopes to use some of the $20,000 Accelerator first prize to exhibit the finished product at the world’s biggest golf show in the United States in 2019.
Four other teams received prizes of between $7500 and $10,000 for start-up ideas of providing handwagons to people in sub-Saharan Africa, vital-sign monitoring in India, a cheap and simple tester to detect toxic heavy metals in water and the online marketer Trendy Rhino.
All of these teams will start a 12-week mentoring program in September at La Trobe University with guidance on progressing their business ideas and eventually getting to market.
Jamie Ward from WedgePro said they would be hoping to work with many of the departments at La Trobe University during the 12 weeks, including Sport, Engineering, Law, Business, Marketing and Media.
“This injection of knowledge, skills and knowhow from La Trobe University and their industry contacts will be exactly what we needed,” he said. “We have gone so far with our idea but this will be the trigger to get the design perfected and ready for market and then with a strategy to sell it.”
In all, nine start-ups will be doing the 12-week Accelerator program after pocketing at least $5000 each.
The La Trobe Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Keith Nugent, was delighted to announce the winners of the Accelerator and thanked LaunchVic for providing the funding for the innovative program for start-ups.
Media Contact: Tim Newhouse – t.newhouse@latrobe.edu.au – 94792315 / 0416306759
