Building on the success of UNSW Founders' Health 10x Accelerator program, the Impact X program is designed to support early-stage startups in Health, Wellbeing and Disability sector to grow at South West.

Impact X helps early-stage ventures refine and test their ideas, providing tools, skills, and guidance to develop and pitch their concepts and potentially launch a business. Through mentorship, resources, and a supportive network, we aim to scale these ventures to reach those who need them most.

Eligibility:

• Founders and Co-Founders must reside in NSW and establish their entity here.

• Ideal candidates are in the early stages of their startup and seek additional skills and knowledge.

• The program welcomes founders from underserved communities, including diverse ethnicities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, and those returning to work. No prior experience is required.

Key Dates:

• Applications open: 21 August 2024

• Applications close: 21 September 2024

• Notification: 2 October 2024

• Program: 9 October - 20 November 2024

• Pitch Night: 28 November 2024

For more details, visit: Impact X

Apply Now: Impact X Application

The inaugural Pitch Night at South West was held successfully on August 14 at the Liverpool City Council Chamber. Hosted by UNSW Founders and supported by Investment NSW, Liverpool City Council, and Liverpool Innovation Precinct, the event drew over 100 attendees, including children who were inspired by the innovative ideas presented, despite the rainy weather.

The evening began with a welcome from Mayor Ned Mannoun, followed by pitches from six teams competing for a $4,500 cash prize pool:

• Communication Spectrum by Jessica Xi and Jennifer Winstone

• QuickAssist by Dr. Michael Camit

• Sirius by Ivy Valerie and Sophia Lee

• Flexi-Prompt System by Brendan Worne

• Cookventory by Umang Uliana

• My Special Needs Dental Home by Dr. Zanab Malik

The judging panel, consisting of:

• Professor Attila Brungs, Vice Chancellor of UNSW

• Vicky Clare, Acting Associate Director of Precinct Development at Investment NSW

• Lance Chia, Director of Investment & Innovation at Liverpool Innovation Precinct

• Dr. Maryam Parviz, CEO & Co-Founder of SDIP Innovations

had the difficult task of selecting the winners. During the judges' deliberation, five additional teams presented elevator pitches:

• Virtual Nurse by Dr. Allen Nugent

• WayV by Vandy Winata

• Knia Maps by Nikhil Autar

• Australian Queer Multicultural Studio by Sneha Sobti

• Second UCES by Vi Patolo

The top honours of the night were awarded as follows:

1. 1st Place: My Special Needs Dental Home by Dr. Zanab Malik – A personalized dental care app for people with disabilities.

2. 2nd Place: Communication Spectrum by Jessica Xi and Jennifer Winstone – Australia’s first visual support app for communication disabilities and autism.

3. 3rd Place: Flexi-Prompt System by Brendan Worne – A smart environment designed to support cognitive function.

4. People’s Choice Award: Communication Spectrum by Jessica Xi and Jennifer Winstone

In a heartwarming moment, David Burt, Director of Entrepreneurship at UNSW, shared how UNSW Founders provided a laptop to a South Western founder who lacked one, highlighting UNSW Founders commitment to practical support for entrepreneurs.

For more details, see the article on Pitch Night at South West.

Open to all students and staff from any discipline or faculty. No skills or teams required. Completely free.

If you’re eager to create anything digital—whether it’s coding or no-code, design-only or development-ready, and no matter how polished or early—it’s the program for you!

The Digital Makers Program is designed to enhance your digital skills, from basic drawing to advanced tools like Figma and Unity.

Improve your skills through a series of workshops, receive expert feedback, and advance your idea.

Key Dates:

Main Workshop Series:

• 27 June at Liverpool Library

• 4 July at Liverpool Library

• 11 July at Western Sydney University Fairfield Campus

• 18 July at Western Sydney University Fairfield Campus

• 25 July at L5 UNSW Co-campus, Western Sydney University

• 1 August at L5 UNSW Co-campus, Western Sydney University

• 8 August at Liverpool Library

Campbelltown Pop-Up:

• 23 July, 5-7pm at Staff Training Centre (STC), Campbelltown City Council, 91 Queen Street, Campbelltown

See the video here for highlights from our program.

UNSW’s New Wave program empowers female founders with a strong professional network, industry experts, and essential skills to launch their startups.

UNSW startups feature female founders at twice the industry average, thanks to New Wave!

Female founders from South-Western Sydney are invited to apply for the 2024 Cohort B, running online from September to October 2024. No UNSW affiliation is needed.

Eligibility:

There are three pathways into New Wave:

1. Apply without an idea (looking to join a team)

2. Apply with an idea (seeking teammates)

3. Apply with an idea as a solo founder or fully formed team (ready to go)

Teams can have up to four members, all of whom must meet the following criteria:

• Be 18 years or older

• Identify as a woman

• Reside in the South-Western Region

• Be a current UNSW student (Undergraduate, Masters, or PhD), UNSW alumni, UNSW academic staff (with manager approval and IP guidance), or UNSW professional staff (with manager approval and IP guidance)

Key Dates:

• Mon, 8 Jul: Applications open

• Mon, 26 Aug: Problem Discovery & Ideation Night (UNSW Sydney)

• Wed, 4 Sep: Applications close

• Sat, 7 Sep: In-person Orientation & Networking (1-4pm)

• Mon, 9 Sep: Online Orientation & Networking

• 16 Sep - 11 Oct: Programming with online workshops (Mon & Wed evenings, 6:30pm-8pm)

• Wed, 16 Oct: Hybrid Speed Mentoring Night (In-person and online)

• Thu, 14 Nov: Live Showcase

For more details and to apply, visit New Wave.

1. Translate your insights into clinical innovations

In a rapid session, you will gain real insights and practical tools to assess your commercial pathways and opportunities.

Have you ever wondered how you could apply your research to create better results? This is your chance to learn from the Australian leading university-based Health program about exploring that potential.

Who is this for?

1. Anyone from South-Western Sydney who: 

2. Is curious about the different options for taking something from the lab to the clinic. 

3. Wants to understand the commercialisation processes and support available through the Liverpool Innovation Precinct (LIP) Entrepreneurship Program. 

4. Wants to learn how to assess if you should pursue an idea. 

5. Has an idea, process or tool you think could improve current practice or patient outcomes and wants to understand the next steps. 

What you will learn: 

1. What is MedTech? What are the Australian and global contexts and trends? 

2. How do you know if an idea is worth exploring? 

3. What frameworks can you use to assess your work and opportunities? 

4. What Rapid ways can you use to test an idea and build a foundation for success? 

5. What are the pathways and standard journey of health innovation commercialisation? 

6. Where can you go for support and guidance? 

This is workshop ONE of a three-part Innovation Breakfast series. You are welcome to attend all three individual events.

• Date: April 30th  

• Time: 9-10am 

• Location: Level 6 (Boardroom), 35 Scott Street, Liverpool, NSW, 2170

2. Amplify Your Impact: The Art of Communication

The impact of your work is only as good as your ability to communicate its value.

In this interactive session, embrace the opportunity to receive direct feedback and readily apply practical tools to improve your communication skills.

These skills will support your approach to: 

• Grants and funding 

• Professional networking 

• Pitching your ideas for commercial application  

• And so much more! 

Effective communication skills are not soft skills but are essential for all aspects of life.

This supportive session is designed to meet everyone where they are and provide practical guidance.  

What you’ll gain: 

• Reflect on your communication style, identify areas for improvement, and create a plan for ongoing development of your communication skills. 

• Analyse your key stakeholder groups and develop tailored communication strategies for each audience. 

• Understand the importance of nonverbal communication in academic and professional settings and develop strategies for using nonverbal cues effectively in different contexts. 

• Develop a template Gaddie pitch to establish a foundational introduction to draw upon. 

• Explore tools to increase practical oral communication skills for presenting research findings, including creating engaging presentations, using effective body language and tone of voice, and fielding questions from an audience.  

This is workshop TWO of a three-part Innovation Breakfast series. You are welcome to attend all three individual events. 

• Date: May 7th 

• Time: 9-10am 

• Location: Level 6 (Boardroom), 35 Scott Street, Liverpool, NSW, 2170 

3. Health Innovation: Expert Panel

This is workshop THREE of a three-part Innovation Breakfast series. You are welcome to attend all three individual events.