Why did the startup founder bring their pitch deck to the beach? Because they heard investors love to see a good deck (dumb joke, but I tried). 

HEX held its very first Pitch Night for 2023! We welcomed an awesome cohort of student founders to the stage, repping universities from Swinburne University of Technology, RMIT University, Monash University & University of Melbourne.

Hosting this event was super important for HEX because research has shown that Australia has been falling behind in the Global Innovation Index — which measures science and innovation investments, technological progress, and socioeconomic impact (we wouldn’t want to fall any further right?).

At HEX, we believe there is an obvious solution and that is supporting student founders to unlock and unleash their inner-entrepreneur! Did you know that at some universities, up to 40 per cent of students and recent alumni have either founded their own startup or are considering doing so?

We have some of the brightest minds studying at Australian universities right now, but we need to do more to support innovation and entrepreneurship at the higher and tertiary education level (cheeky plug: we're doing exactly this at HEX)

So at HEX, we partnered with Draper Startup House, Skalata, RMIT Activator and City of Melbourne to spotlight Melbourne's brightest up and coming student founders for the entire startup ecosystem to see.

Here's a recap of the pitches (for those who couldn’t be there, we got you!):

♿ EnAccess Maps (University of Melbourne): provides mobility-aid users with an online platform to find and review accessible restaurants. With over 270 restaurants reviewed by their users across Australia, their initiative aims to create a more inclusive society by promoting equal access and opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

👉Connect with co-founder, David Wu!

🕯️Amar Impact (La Trobe University): is a social enterprise fragrance house that donates 50% of profits to mental health organisations in Australia and India, all while also supporting underrepresented artisans and communities.

👉Connect with founder, Karishma Singh!  

🍺 Wonki (Monash University): is the cheeky hard seltzer turning misshapen Aussie produce into conscious, low-cal beverages. Founded by three Monash undergrads, Wonki rescues imperfect fruits from going to landfill, offers a sustainable alternative, all while supporting Aussie farmers.

👉Connect with co-founders, Max Moolman and Gabriel Tucker!

🏷️ ZeroTag (RMIT University): is a solution to make product labels digital, and doing so makes the communication of packaging smarter. Their mission is to save food from landfill by avoiding packaging waste.

👉Connect with co-founder, Joseph Oliver Yap!

⛷️ Flowlab (RMIT University): is giving athletes the tools they require, whenever and wherever they need them, to perform at their best. Their solution empowers athletes in self-management and therefore reduces mental load, utilises data for performance and provides access to physical resources. 

👉Connect with founder, Emma Kent!

And massive congratulations to Max Moolman and Gabriel Tucker from Wonki for taking home the win - they worked their cheeky seltzer into the judges’ hearts (and hopefully into our hands soon!). 

From our experience working with over 5,000 student founders across the globe, we understand how difficult the student founder journey can be. So if you’re reading this, please support these 5 inspirational founders - it can be anything from mentoring, helping with connections or just a coffee chat! 

‍Do you want to learn more about how to unleash your potential and become the leader, not the follower?

Enrol in HEX Ed Pro - a semi-synchronous online innovation program that challenges who you are and is designed to equip you with the mindsets, skillsets and toolsets you need to succeed in a constantly evolving world. 

Purchase it here: https://www.startwithhex.com/program/hex-pro 

And lastly, don’t be a stranger! Join our community of over 1,200 change makers and innovators 👉https://www.startwithhex.com/hex-community