A startup which helps adventure seekers rent high quality bikes, surf and snow gear to fellow travellers is among the entries to the Pitch@Palace Australia On Tour Perth contest at Murdoch University tomorrow (Friday 23 August).
The business – Quipmo – run by Murdoch Bachelor of Commerce alumni Chris Evans, is one of 19 young firms selected to compete in the prestigious competition, which provides a platform for entrepreneurs to amplify their ideas in front of business leaders and investors.
Chris and the other competitors will have just three minutes to showcase their business with eight winners selected by a judging panel to go through to the Australian entrepreneur boot camp and national final to be run by Murdoch University in Perth in early October.
As a keen surfer and traveller, Chris came up with the idea for Quipmo while studying and living in Brisbane.
“Dreaming about old adventures a common thought emerged – finding quality gear for an adventure whilst travelling was always a challenge and the cost of transporting gear made having an adventure away from home especially difficult,” he said.
“This had been a source of great frustration over the years and was the key problem to solve – how to make access to quality gear for adventures more efficient, affordable and readily available.”
This was when the idea for Quipmo – an online peer to peer rental marketplace for like-minded adventurers – was born.
“Since launching in Perth two years ago, we’ve built listings in 18 countries, amassed more than 70,000 social followers and brokered 12 major strategic partnerships with sporting associations,” explained Chris, who was also a member of the Murdoch Senate for three years from 2013.
“The reception we’ve received to date has been incredible and like most start ups, we have great aspirations and global ambitions!
Pitch@Palace’s reputation for supporting entrepreneurs by connecting them to local and international networks, along with potential investors, supporters and key business contacts is compelling.
Chris is not the only Pitch@Palace Perth heat competitor with a link to Murdoch University.
Murdoch alumni and former member of staff Genevieve Hohnen will be pitching her designer fashion rental marketplace startup The Volte.
Business alumni Morgan Becker will be pitching her social eCommerce platform JAANT, which aims to streamline and revolutionise fashion ecommerce.
Murdoch researcher Dr Sofie De Meyer will be pitching about her innovative business MALDIID, which specialises in micro-organism identification using mass spectrometry.
Forensic scientist and recent FameLab Australia winner Dr Paola Magni and Murdoch media producer Jeff Asselin will be presenting on their virtual reality crime scene simulator Virtual CSI.
The other finalists are Gelavo Pty Ltd, Assisting Your Life to Achieve AYLA Inc, Hygge Community Life Limited, iSOL8 Pty Ltd, Markr Systems, Axonium, Credi, KinChip Systems, Noisy Guts Pty Ltd, Orthocell Ltd, Pro Scout International, Cognetic Technologies, DiGii Pty Ltd and Exodus Space Systems.
Pitch@Palace was founded by His Royal Highness The Duke of York in 2014 to help accelerate the work of entrepreneurs, connecting them with local and international networks, along with potential investors and supporters.