The Ideas Place

05/09/2024

🤩 CONGRATS TO OUR PITCH NIGHT WINNERS 👏 17-year-old Isaac Purcell came first and won $10,000 in seed funding with his business idea for specialised vending machines catering to campers. A very driven young man with a very bright future ⭐️

Martha Rowe finished in second place at the Pitch Night and was awarded $5000 for her innovative saliva control product while Rob Herry came in third and won $3000 for his animal therapy farm for people with a disability.

Thank you to everyone who came along and made the night so special, including our audience members, judges, and our eight amazing pitchers!

The Ideas Place wouldn't be possible without funding support from LaunchVic and our partners Warrnambool City Council, Moyne Shire Council, Corangamite Shire Council, South West TAFE, Food & Fibre - Great South Coast, What Your Customers Want and Fletcher Jones Family Foundations.

30/08/2024

Meet the 𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 South West entrepreneurs presenting at our Pitch Night on September 4! Get your tickets to hear their ideas first-hand as they vie for a share of $23,000 in seed funding: https://events.humanitix.com/the-ideas-place-pitch-night-u732eeev?hxchl=mkt-sch

𝗖𝗵𝗹𝗼𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿
Idea: Pelvic Floor Prep for Birth by The Lady Physio. Our online course delivers evidence-based physiotherapy strategies to mitigate common pelvic floor issues during pregnancy and birth, reducing injury risk and optimising recovery.

𝗜𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻
Idea: Mr PlantMac Ultra. Mr PlantMac Ultra from Mr PlantMac Agriculture is a ‘Plant Growth Stimulant’ for pastoralists and grain growers. It combines 6 ingredients that improve seeding survival, plant health and growth, and soil structure and fertility.

𝗜𝘀𝗮𝗮𝗰 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹
Idea: Purcell Vending. Purcell Vending will provide vending machine services across South West Victoria, starting in the caravan parks of Port Fairy. Items will be tailored specifically for visitor services.

𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘆𝗱𝗲𝗻
Idea: Circle of Connection. Circle of Connection is a transformative program for parents to combat the post-COVID mental health crisis, enhance communication, and break cycles of disconnection, fostering stronger, and more resilient families.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝘄𝗲
Idea: SalivaControl. SalivaControl assists with saliva management and the prevention of drooling.

𝗗𝗿. 𝗣𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁
Idea: Suffoir Free As A Bird Non-Alcoholic Gin. Free As a Bird, our new non-alcoholic gin range, allows customers to enjoy the complexity of botanicals without compromising on their health.

𝗥𝗼𝗯 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆
Idea: Big Rob’s Miniature Farm. Big Rob’s Miniature Farm is a place where people with a disability can get animal assisted therapy with a variety of unusual and uncommon miniature animals.

𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿
Idea: Robo ReFresh Café. Robo Refresh Café is a robot café utilising cutting-edge automation to deliver high-quality coffee, milkshakes, and ice cream with exceptional consistency and efficiency.

LaunchVic Warrnambool City Council Moyne Shire Council Corangamite Shire Council South West TAFE Food & Fibre - Great South Coast What Your Customers Want Fletcher Jones Family Foundations

21/08/2024

🦈 South West "Shark Tank" is back on September 4! Terang's Jean Kerwin won our most recent Pitch Night, but who's next?

Join us at the Noorat Recreation Reserve and be amongst the first to hear about the latest creative business ideas from a group of South West entrepreneurs as they vie for a share of up to $23,000 in seed funding.

Each participant will have five minutes to present their idea to a judging panel and a live audience.

If you’re not familiar with the Ideas Place, it’s a partnership between LaunchVic, South West TAFE, Food & Fibre - Great South Coast, Warrnambool City Council, Moyne Shire Council and Corangamite Shire Council to help locals transform their innovative business ideas into viable start-up businesses.

Be amongst the first to hear about the latest creative business ideas from a group of South West entrepreneurs as they vie for a share of up to $23,000 in seed funding at the Ideas Place Pitch Night. The event is on at the Noorat Recreation Reserve on September 4 from 6.30pm – 9pm. Each pitcher wi...

22/07/2024

South West Vic start-ups Sherri Symons and Jean Kerwin won $10,000 each in seed funding to help launch their creative business ideas. Are you the next success story?

Sherri's idea was to use low-grade wool as an organic fertiliser, while Jean's business focusses on life writing packages aimed at people with a loved one facing end of life.

If you live in South West Victoria and you've got an innovative business idea, you could win a share of up $27,000 in seed funding thanks to LaunchVic and your local Council.

Follow the link to find out more about the Ideas Place Boot Camp and Pitch Night. It's free! Expressions of interest close on Friday July 26, so don't wait! Take the leap now!

https://theideasplace.com.au/

22/07/2024

💰 Aspiring South West entrepreneurs could win a share of $27,000 in as little as five minutes. OK, there's more to it than that, but if you have an innovative business idea that could use some seed funding, you NEED to check this out. Don't wait too long though. Applications close on Friday July 26 🏃

Aspiring entrepreneurs could win a share of $27,000 in as little as five minutes. The seed funding is available as part of The Ideas Place Pitch Night, with expressions of interest in the pre-pitch night program, dubbed The Ideas Place Boot Camp, now open. The Boot Camp helps participants to refine....

08/04/2024

⏰ LAST CHANCE: We’ve helped over 40 South West start-ups turn their innovative ideas into a viable business over the past year. Our third and final “Ignite Program” is now taking expressions of interest 🚀

One night a week for 10 weeks, you’ll hear from an industry expert about a different aspect of launching or growing your ideas. There’s also personalised coaching and great networking opportunities 🤝

A program like this would normally cost several thousand dollars, 💰 but thanks to funding from LaunchVic and partnerships with South West organisations, it’s free!

🙌 You’ve got nothing to lose by expressing your interest, but don’t sit on the fence for too long. EOIs close on Friday April 19: https://theideasplace.com.au/expression-interest

Warrnambool City Council Moyne Shire Council Corangamite Shire Council South West TAFE Food & Fibre - Great South Coast What Your Customers Want

26/03/2024

🚂 More South West start-ups on the right track with help from The Ideas Place. Are you next? Thanks to LaunchVic funding, it's free!

After signing up to the Ideas Place to learn how to deliver a punchy, persuasive business pitch, Tale Mapper founder Jean Kerwin has won $10,000 in seed funding as part of last week's pitch night.

Kirsten Diprose and Ted Argyle also secured funding.

What did they all have in common? They all took part in our free Ignite Program.

The 10-week program involves one session per week and covers a wide range of topics from marketing to copyright protection. The aim is to help emerging entrepreneurs explore all aspects of their new business.

Follow the link to find out more. Applications close on April 19.

LaunchVic Warrnambool City Council Moyne Shire Council Corangamite Shire Council South West TAFE What Your Customers Want Food & Fibre - Great South Coast

After signing up to the Ideas Place to learn how to deliver a punchy, persuasive business pitch, Tale Mapper founder Jean Kerwin has won $10,000 in seed funding as part of a pitch night. Tale Mapper specialises in life writing packages aimed at people with a loved one facing end of life. The Ideas P...

22/03/2024

We have a Pitch Night winner!👏
🥇Congratulations Jean Kerwin, whose "Tale Mapper" pitch captured the imaginations of our judges.
✍️Tale Mapper is a range of life writing packages that preserve your loved one's life stories.
Jean received $10,000 to help propel her business to the next stage.
👂🎧🥈In second place and taking home $5000 was Kirsten Diprose for the Rural Podcasting Co, a business that enables you to tell your own story through the medium of podcasting and which specialises in rural stories.
🥉And in third place was Ted Argyle for Ella Rose Memorials, which creates custom-made memorial products to celebrate and honour a life lost. 👣
Well done to all pitchers and thank you to our judges Cynthea Wellings, Cath Jenkins and Gene Seabrook.🙌

18/03/2024

Meet the six South West entrepreneurs who will be presenting their innovative business ideas at Thursday's Pitch Night. There's a combined prize pool of $23,000 on offer!

𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗹

Idea: Asset Connecting Communities reduces the risks of social isolation experienced by veterans and their families. Our activities provide connection to peers and the non-veteran community, increasing the support networks needed.

𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗲, 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗹

Idea: People who need to decompress from high stress environments come to us to learn new ways of connecting with self, others and nature in structured learning activities, while having fun!

𝗝𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗞𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗶𝗻, Corangamite

Idea: Tale Mapper offers a range of life writing packages, which help you to preserve your loved ones' life stories. We assist you in recording the memories of those who are facing end of life, due to age or illness, and turn them into a professionally written story. We then present you with an elegant keepsake box that holds the stories, transcripts, and digital files, ensuring their legacy is preserved for generations to come.

𝗞𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘂𝘁

Idea: Rural Podcasting Co. enables you to tell your own story, through the medium of podcasting. We specialise in rural stories, supporting individuals, businesses and communities to craft unique and engaging podcasts.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗡𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗻, 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗹

Idea: Mental Health Journey Services is introducing to the South West peer support / lived experience mental health support online and in-person so that people needing mental health support can achieve their short, medium and long term recovery goals.

𝗧𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝗴𝘆𝗹𝗲, 𝗖𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗲

Idea: At Ella Rose Memorials we create unique custom made memorial products to celebrate and honour a life lost.

📅 Thursday March 21, 6.30pm
📍 Port Fairy Bowls Club
🎟 Tickets to the Pitch Night are $10, which includes light catering. Under 16s are free. Tickets are available at https://events.humanitix.com/the-ideas-place-pitch-night

LaunchVic Warrnambool City Council Moyne Shire Council Corangamite Shire Council South West TAFE What Your Customers Want

01/03/2024

💡 A night of innovation and inspiration! Join us on March 21 as the next group of emerging South West entrepreneurs pitch their innovative business ideas for a share in $23,000 in seed funding 🌱 Tickets just $10 which includes light catering.

LaunchVic Warrnambool City Council Moyne Shire Council Corangamite Shire Council South West TAFE What Your Customers Want

The Ideas Place Pitch Night

22/02/2024

Sherri Symons' idea to use low-grade wool as an organic fertilizer scored her $10,000 in seed funding from our first Pitch Night 💰 What will the next winning idea be?

Tickets to our upcoming Pitch Night are now available, with the event to be held on March 21.

Seven months on from winning, Sherri said that Aussie Wool Pellets is going from strength to strength 💪

Follow the link to read more about how Sherri is going, and to find out why you should absolutely come along to the next pitch night!

Warrnambool City Council Moyne Shire Council Corangamite Shire Council LaunchVic What Your Customers Want South West TAFE

The South West will host its very own version of Shark Tank on Thursday March 21, with the second Ideas Place Pitch Night to be held in Port Fairy. Five emerging entrepreneurs will have five minutes to pitch their innovative business idea to a panel of judges, with a total pool of up to $23,000 in s...

12/01/2024

CALLING ALL SOUTH WEST ENTREPRENUERS 📣 Pitch your innovative business ideas for a chance to share in up to $23,000 in seed funding. Make 2024 the year you take the leap! It's free! Visit our website to find out more: https://theideasplace.com.au/programs

LaunchVic Warrnambool City Council Moyne Shire Council Corangamite Shire Council South West TAFE What Your Customers Want