Zerina Millard, from Billinudgel based business Flo Gardens, was the winner of a start-up pitch competition held in Byron Bay last Tuesday (October 23).
For winning, Zerina will be flown to Sydney tomorrow by Jobs NSW to a regional ‘pitchfest’ to investors as part of Spark Festival.
The competition was hosted by Byron Shire Council and facilitated by Founders Northern Rivers with grant funding from the NSW government’s Small Business Month.
Sixty people turned up to the three-hour workshop to learn how to perfect their start-up pitch.
The workshop then featured six pitches from local start-up businesses that covered ideas from self-driving car technology and tiny homes to new business platforms.
But it was Flo Garden’s innovative world first self-cleaning aquaponics system that captured the attention of the judges together with how Zerina connected the story of how the product will help time-poor people.
‘This is such a great opportunity for us as a small local start-up. To have support in regional areas from groups like Northern Rivers Founders, Sourdough and Council is so crucial to business success. The opportunity for exposure in Sydney that these partnerships have created for us is so valuable’ Zerina said.
The Spark Festival Regional Pitch contest kicks off at 6pm, Wednesday October 31, in Sydney’s Start up Hub.
