Australian Technologies Competition returns for 2024 to support and accelerate homegrown startups and scaleups
Scale-up services and capital provider Scalare Partners has announced the return of the Australian Technologies Competition (ATC) for 2024, recognising and accelerating homegrown scale-ups with global potential after acquiring the event in 2023.
The competition, which has been regarded as a cornerstone of the tech industry for over a decade, is currently open to nominations and is accepting applications from April 29, 2024. It is open to Australia-based technology companies across various sectors, including fintech, regtech, agribusiness, medtech, cybersecurity, social impact and more. Entries for the competition close on May 24, 2024.
Companies can enter up to two categories each across a total of 16 award categories, with each finalist in the running to win the overall ‘Australian Technology Company of the Year’ Award. In another first, the ATC will also introduce two new categories, Best Tech Journalist and Best Ecosystem Partner, which recognise contributions to the sector.
Technology leaders and government bodies have already thrown their support behind the ATC with this year’s sponsors, including The Australian Government – Department of Industry, Science and Resources, National Stock Exchange of Australia, Odgers Berndtson, FB Rice, Vocus and Scendar, with more to be announced.
Successful applicants will have the chance to connect with industry experts and investors, while semi-finalists (to be announced on June 5, 2024) will receive networking opportunities, mentoring from an industry expert, and masterclass sessions.
Finalists will be announced on August 22, 2024, and will then pitch their technology to ATC’s judging panel. Judges include respected industry professionals such as Patrick Mooney, Founder and Executive Chair at Impact Tech Ventures, and Chan Arambewela, Chief Operating Officer at the National Stock Exchange of Australia.
The pitch session event, set to be held on September 19, 2024, will be open to the public for the first time in the competition’s 14-year history.
Tickets to the event will be available at www.austechcomp.com starting June 24, 2024.
Giles Bourne, Director of the Australian Technologies Competition and Founding Partner of Scalare Partners, said his experience in the ATC was the driving force behind launching Scalare Partners, “Since 2010, ATC has created an alumni pool of more than 300 semi-finalists, many of whom have had significant international success, including BluGlass, a semiconductor innovator that I was leading at the time as their Managing Director.
“As an alumni of the competition, I’ve experienced firsthand the depth of value that it offers – so much so, that it inspired me to start Scalare Partners. In the same way, the ATC helped BluGlass take off by equipping us with the backing we needed to level up; we launched Scalare Partners with the same vision of leveraging industry experts to help smart founders with innovative companies scale,” he said.
Clinton Hopkins, Founder and CEO at ONVOL, a technology company focused on industrial IOT power solutions that won the competition’s Clean Energy Award in 2023, said, “The Australian Technologies Competition was a great opportunity for us to showcase our product, network with other entrepreneurs and industry experts, and receive valuable feedback and mentoring. The program was especially helpful in providing us with access to resources, facilities, and guidance that accelerated our growth and development.
“We are grateful to the organizers, sponsors, and judges for their support and encouragement. We highly recommend this program to any aspiring technology scaleup that wants to make a positive impact on a global scale,” he said.
