Australian startup Build Buddy wins Startup World Cup Regional Final
In a testament to Australia’s growing presence in the global tech startup ecosystem, local startup Build Buddy has emerged victorious at the Australian regional final of the prestigious Startup World Cup, hosted by renowned American VC firm Pegasus Tech Ventures.
Over 150 Australian startups were competing for a place at the regional finals which saw just ten make the final cut to attend and pitch at the event which took place last night in Sydney as part of Startup&Angels Investor Week. Build Buddy’s win catapults the innovative collaborative construction tech company onto the global stage, securing their place in the semi-finals to be held in San Francisco this October.
Build Buddy is the brainchild of Danny Assabgy, a veteran of the Australian home building industry who recognised that the sector hadn’t seen a major change in the past 50 years and was ripe for disruption. Together with his team, Danny found a way to do things differently by developing technology that puts the homeowner in control and provides a truly collaborative approach to home building.
The Build Buddy app empowers anyone to design and build their home without engaging a builder. With step-by-step tasks, users know what to do, when to do it, how they’re going to do it and it directly connects them to an exclusive network of verified contractors, consultants and suppliers. This means that homeowners are in full control of their building project and in the process, can make savings of up to 20% and more.
Danny Assabgy, Founder and CEO of Build Buddy said of the announcement, “Winning the Startup World Cup regional final is a tremendous validation of our vision at Build Buddy. We’ve been working tirelessly to truly revolutionise the home building industry, and this win not only recognises our efforts but also puts Australian innovation on the global map. We’re excited to represent our country in San Francisco and showcase how technology can make home building more accessible and efficient for everyone.”
Romane Delvallee, Head of Community Startup&Angels, remarked, “This year’s event has been nothing short of incredible, spotlighting the brightest minds in Australia’s startup ecosystem. We are eager to follow Build Buddy’s journey as they compete on the global stage.”
Key Details:
- Startup World Cup is a global series of startup competitions held in over 50 countries across six continents
- The last stage of the competition now takes place in San Francisco 2-4 October 2024
- Build Buddy will compete in the semi-finals on 2 October, if successful, they’ll advance to the Grand Finale on 4 October, competing for a US$1 million investment prize
- All regional finalists benefit from workshops and networking events throughout the duration of the event.
The Australian judging panel, who provided valuable insights throughout the event, consisted of:
- Sophie Yao (Managing Director at Pegasus Tech Ventures)
- Matt Vitale (Co-Founder & CEO of Birchal)
- Romane Delvallee (Head of Community at Startup&Angels)
- Patrick Stewart (National Sales Lead at Radium Capital)
- Imche Veiga (Group Executive of Ecosystems at Stone & Chalk)
- Harry Godber (Co-CEO of Spark Festival)
- Varun Bhandarkar (Head of Existing Business APAC at Stripe)
- Charlie Ill (CEO at Investible)
- Zach Zocher (Head of Community at Techvisa)
- Sam Cust (Director at Hyper Startup Studio)
