Duke of York to return to Gold Coast for global start-up comp: Pitch@Palace 2018

HRH Duke of York will return to the Gold Coast to be part of Pitch@Palace Australia at Bond University on 27 November. 

The national winners of the start-up competition, which is open to all Australian citizens over the age of 18, will be flown to London in December to pitch their winning idea at St James's Palace in the global final.

The Duke will spend the day (on 27 November) at Bond University talking with students and entrants from Queensland and the Northern Territory about their business ideas before the judging panel decides on the regional finalists.

With more states added to this year’s Australian event, the Duke will have additional visits to Western Australia and South Australia, before the national final in Brisbane on 30 November.

Bond University Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford said after such a successful inaugural event in 2017, the University is ‘pleased and proud’ to once again host the northern regional Pitch@Palace Australia event.

“Last year's event captured much interest as we followed the fortunes of the teams.  Two Gold Coasters gathered significant momentum for their start-up businesses as they progressed from the regional event at Bond University to finish in the top three in the national final in Sydney – and from there progressed to the global challenge held at St James Palace,” he said.

“We were exceptionally proud to support the journey of Bond student Alisha Geary and local entrepreneur Nev Hyman, and so pleased for Nev who went on to win the global final in London.

“The Pitch@Palace Australia concept resonates with the Bond University community as we fully embrace the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. 

“Bond by its very nature was established as a start-up almost 30 years ago and we understand the challenge of growing an early-stage business.

“This year we aim to have an even larger number of entrants and I am confident the bar will continue to be raised in terms of the quality of ideas.

“The success of Queenslanders in 2017 set the standard and I hope that we can go back-to-back in 2018 against the other states.

“The Bond University community looks forward to hosting the second round of Pitch@Palace Australia and we are honoured that the Duke will visit the campus again.”    

Bond University graduate (and founder of Faebella luxury active wear, featuring Indigenous art) Alisha Geary and local businessman Nev Hyman of NevHouse travelled to London to represent Australia in the global final of the Pitch@Palace start-up competition last December.

Mr Hyman’s NevHouse, which turns recycled plastic and other sustainable materials into low cost homes, schools and medical clinics, was the ultimate winner of the global competition.

He said the Pitch@Palace competition was an exciting opportunity that helped him access key people in the EU, UN and the World Bank.

“Being part of the Pitch@Palace competition at Bond University absolutely helped our business NevHouse,” Mr Hyman said last year.

“From the first moment we met Prince Andrew at Bond, the association of being part of Pitch@Palace has been worth its weight in gold.”

Universities involved with the event are: Bond University, University of Wollongong, Macquarie University, Murdoch University, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and University of South Australia.