PFC’s triumphant return to full house Finals Night at NIDA
After over two years of COVID disruptions, the Peter Farrell Cup Finals Night, our flagship student pitch competition, saw ten finalists grace the main stage of NIDA to a full house. NIDA came alive for the PFC’s twenty-second year, hosting over 380 students, researchers, alumni, parents, staff, and well-wishers who filled the auditorium, many joining as the night progressed.
UNSW on mission to be Australia’s top university for entrepreneurship
“I’ve been to many of these pitch sessions, and tonight was just amazing,” declared Vice-Chancellor Attila Brungs, who served as a judge alongside UNSW Founders Entrepreneur-in-Residence Gary Zamel and Frances Atkins, Co-Founder and Director of Givvable (10x & New Wave).
“What you all do and the way you do it is quite inspirational. One of the things I’m so excited about is making UNSW the top university in Australia for entrepreneurship. This, in itself, is part of the journey. Each of you are going to go out tonight and, with your companies, make the world a better place. That’s what I’m so excited about,” said the Vice-Chancellor, before going on to thank every finalist for their efforts through the PFC.
How PFC refines a wild idea to a stage-ready pitch
Each finalist had survived an intense ten weeks of PFC ‘bootcamp’, learning everything from distilling a business idea to a one-page ‘lean canvas’, to finding product-market fit, and of course, pitching. From the fifty teams that commenced in the PFC, ten emerged as finalists after a challenging PFC ‘pitchfest.’
“The founders team have been instrumental in accelerating our growth from the ideas stage to being ready for clinical studies in the coming months,” said Anthony Sunjaya from Healthgenics, which won PFC First Place in the Research category ($8000). “Kudos to the mentoring and support that’s provided.”
“I was a bit nervous going on stage, so I didn’t really know what to expect,” said Shruthi Annamalai, Co-Founder of OLLONYX, a smart lamp to support greater mindfulness and reduce blue light exposure before sleep. “The whole journey has been an exciting and challenging process. It’s been a great experience.” OLLONYX won the Dean of Arts, Design + Architecture Award ($2500).
“What will change most for me is my ability to go on stage and perform in front of a large crowd,” said William Chiem, Co-Founder of Veather.
“At the end of the day, we were really passionate about implementing our idea,” said Jumpei Takeuch, Co-Founder of AYCA, who came from a team of medical students. “My team, Sophie and Gary, were really supportive of each other, especially when we went through difficult periods with study and research. We’ve also been really supported by the PFC team and our mentor, who is here today.” AYCA won the Dean of Medicine Award ($2500).
Congratulations to our talented winners
1st Place Early Stage - $8,000 – Smart Assistive
1st Place Research - $8,000 – Healthgenics
2nd Place – General - $3,000 - ChronoRewinder
People’s Choice Award - $1,000 - Smart Assistive
FACULTY AWARDS
Dean of Science Award - $2500 - Nanoscale Pharmaceutics
”This team has presented an innovative solution to a significant societal challenge. They bring together a diverse group of experts and are well placed to take this concept through the set phase of evaluation,” said Associate Professor Alison Beavis, Deputy Dean Education Science.
Dean of Arts, Design + Architecture Award - $2500 - OLLONYX
“This team presents a real problem to solve and comes up with a great design that has a clear market. I'd buy four for my family,” said Professor Claire Annesley, Dean of Arts, Design and Architecture.”
Dean of Engineering Award - $2500 - Smart Assistive
“This team presented a fantastic use of technology to make people’s lives better in a meaningful and practical way,” said Professor Ian Gibson, Deputy Dean Industry Engagement, Innovation and Research at UNSW Engineering.
Dean of Medicine Award - $2500 - AYCA
“This team identified the need for such a product and the potential impact of the solution,” said Professor Phoebe Phillips - Associate Dean (Partnerships and Engagement), Faculty of Medicine and Health.
Dean of Business Award - $2500 - NONSTNDRD
“This team did a great job of identifying a real customer need and demonstrated how their solution could help, and the steps needed to scale the solution. They also had a very memorable opening line!” said Professor Chris Styles, Dean UNSW Business School.
Congratulations to all our finalists
AYCA: Collaborating for Better Eating Disorder Care
ChronoRewinder: Advancing Forensic Technology
HEALTHGENICS: Diabetes Prevention for Anyone, Anywhere
iContract: Automating Construction Contacts - Globally
Nanoscale Pharmaceutics: Personalised Drug Delivery: The Right Dose at the Right Time
NONSTNDRD: Comfort Starts at The Core
OLLONYX: Improving the Quality of Your Sleep
Smart Assistive: Prioritised Prevention
Spot Tutors: Tutoring Done Right
Veather: Making the World Better
For media enquiries or to speak directly with any of our finalists, please contact pfc@unsw.edu.au.