Victoria’s Emerging Medical Technology Entrepreneurs to Get a Boost from STC’s Second ‘MedTech’s Got Talent’ Challenge

MELBOURNE, Australia

STC Australia (the Small Technologies Cluster) is pleased to announce the 2015 round of MedTech’s Got Talent, a unique program to identify and refine high-potential medical technology concepts developed by Victorian students, post-docs and recent graduates.

In its second year, Medtech’s Got Talent will up-skill entrepreneurs in pitching a product or business concept, developing a technology roadmap and launching commercialisation activities. Participants also vie for over $140,000 in prizes and mentoring from Australia’s leading commercialisation and technology experts.

“The calibre of participants in last year’s round was outstanding and we’re expecting great things from the 2015 intake. It’s exciting to see the strength of Victoria’s home-grown talent” said Dr Buzz Palmer, CEO of STC.

“Our 2013/14 Grand Prize winners, SmartStent, are already making big strides with their minimally-invasive brain-machine interface technology, which translates brain signals for use in the control of bionic limbs” Dr Palmer said.

The 2015 round is now open, with early-bird applicants who lodge before 30 March able to receive in-depth feedback on their application, prior to the 8 April deadline.

Here’s how it works:

• Applicants submit an Executive Summary by the deadline, 8 April 2015.
• The top 30 applicants are invited to pitch at the Rapid Fire Round (16 April) where 16 semi-finalists will advance to The Finals gala pitch event.
• At The Finals (21 May), five finalists are selected and each receive $20,000 plus valuable service prizes and enter a 6-week, intensive Accelerated Technology Roadmapping program.
• The Grand Prize winner, receiving an additional $40,000, will be selected at the closed-door Investor Boardroom Pitch (7 Aug).

To be eligible, applications must be must be championed by a currently-enrolled student in a Victorian secondary college or university, a currently employed post-doc in a Victorian organisation (university, research institute, hospital or company) or a recent graduate (under 5 years) from any university and currently residing in Victoria.

The 2015 MedTech’s Got Talent Challenge is only possible thanks to generous support of the State Government of Victoria and sponsors: Johnson & Johnson Medical, Grey Innovation, Monash University, Medtronic Australia, MiniFAB, Hydrix, CSIRO, Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick, Device Technologies, Frost & Sullivan, Planet Innovation, Outerspace Design, Capstone Partners, Cogent, secondnature, Cochlear, Global Data, Leadership Management Australia, York Butter Factory, Ernst & Young, Avino Media, Pitcher Partners and BioMelbourne Network.

ABOUT STC:

STC promotes commercialisation and entrepreneurship around next-generation innovations with programs that grow new businesses. STC seeds and catalyses new industry opportunities, provides the infrastructure to accelerate commercialisation and links with key stakeholders across industry, government and academia necessary to nurture cross-fertilisation of innovation. For more information on STC programs, please visit www.STCaustralia.org.