Highlights from Investible Games Melbourne 2019

Which startups are truly ready for investment or the next phase of growth? The Investible Games is the best way to find out.

We activated our global network to source and screen more than 150 local startups for Investible Games Melbourne 2019. And after countless hours and three dozen interviews, we narrowed the pool down to 12 promising companies.

From health insurance and workplace safety to AI that helps identify faults in water pipes, this edition of the Investible Games featured founders who were experienced and passionate about solving real global challenges.

Joining them were more than a dozen early-stage investors, Club Investible members and industry experts to observe, evaluate and get to know the participating companies and serve as judges.

So, what did everyone gain from the Investible Games? We asked startups and investors about their highlights from the day.

What startups had to say…

For our startups, the Investible Games was an opportunity to pull back from the daily business grind and gain much needed perspective on the path forward.

“We’ve been very much down in the detail, developing our technology and doing a lot of customer research. And we needed to get up in that helicopter, cover off those aspects and get the right advice,” said Mark Harper, CEO and co-founder of Vspry.

“You can go out and get plenty of advice in ‘startupland’ but you’ve got to talk to the right people for your business.”

The time crunch posed by the high-impact competition also forced the founders to think and work quickly, without relying on a pitch deck, detailed financial documents or rehearsal time.

“It’s a pressure environment. My takeout is that you really need to know your business and how to apply the knowledge of your business quickly to each of the challenges,” Natasha Scott, COO and co-founder of Global Where.

And overall, many of the startup founders agreed that working closely with the investors created authentic opportunities to discuss ideas and seek valuable feedback. It was a chance for that all-important glimpse into investors’ minds.

“Games like this really give us that perspective of what an investor’s looking for and what makes us Investible,” said Amanda Siquera, CEO and Co-founder of Vapar.

“We’re looking for exposure to the investor community both in Melbourne and Sydney and really get that feedback so that when we come to raise our round, we can execute and close quickly and move on with the business.”

“We’ve met some amazing investors who really get our business and really understand the business that we’re playing in. And the insights they’ve been able to provide has been phenomenal,” added Scott.

What investors had to say…

Investors involved in Investible Games Melbourne say they also learned a lot from the experience and enjoyed having the opportunity to access market-defining companies 18 to 24 months before they hit the mainstream.

“We have a similar philosophy to Investible and that is that founders are the starting point and often, the ending point when it comes to startups,” said Adam Schoff, Executive Director of ACT Capital Partners.

“A business model can be adapted, but the founders can’t be changed – or at least very easily. We’re always starting with the founders, then looking at the macro factors and working our way down granularly to uncover the opportunity. This event really helps you identify the talent in those founders.”

The thorough selection process behind the Investible Games meant that all of the startups invited to participate were going to be strong contenders for future investment.

“…immediately you’re getting the benefit of a deeply curated process. The fact that you get to look at these startups side-by-side helps with benchmarking and the Investible process – the reference points, the tests and the filters Investible goes through to decide whether a company is investible is a great education process for early-stage investors,” Peter Coad, one of Investible’s active early-stage investors.

It was a competition and at the end of the day, there could only be one winner. Vapar grabbed the title at the Melbourne Investible Games, and we couldn’t be more excited about continuing to work with Vapar as they scale.

How can you get involved in the next Investible Games?

The Investible Games has something to offer every part of the startup and investment ecosystem. For startups, it’s a great way to stress test your business model and how well you work as a founder team when the pressure is on.

For investors, it offers insight into Investible’s proven early-stage investment methodology and the chance to see promising startups in their element before anyone else.

For corporates, it’s a model to allow visibility and access into early stages companies who can solve key business challenges today or future proof your business to avoid disruption.

The Investible Games also de-risks corporate venturing by allowing businesses to leverage Investible’s thorough scouting and due diligence processes to unearth best-in-class startups for potential pilots, partnerships, investment and more.

If you’re a startup and think you have what it takes to compete in the Investible Games, apply for the event nearest you.

Still not sure how it all works? Check out our post on the top 5 things to know about the Investible Games.

Here’s the full list of startups that competed in Investible Games Melbourne:

AgUnity – A mobile app that uses blockchain technology to improve communications between farmers and co-op staff and ultimately, reduces food waste and farmer inefficiency.

buddee fitness – A mobile app that matches clients with fitness professionals, providing opportunities for people to exercise with a professional and making fitness industry careers more sustainable.

Global Where – Uses predictive artificial intelligence technology to provide real-time visibility of worker fatigue risk to eliminate accidents and deaths.

LARKI – A SaaS-enabled marketplace for architects to access detailed 3D surveys, to speed up design and planning permit approvals.

LOKE – A cloud-based mobile payment and loyalty platform that enables merchants to deploy and manage their own branded loyalty products.

Patient Connector – An online marketplace that enables patients to access information about specialist doctors and make more informed healthcare decisions, while also helping specialists grow their private practice.

SecureStack – Enables companies to build and manage secure infrastructure anywhere with its build once, deploy anywhere orchestration.

SquarePeg – A flexible job marketplace that matches candidates’ skills and experience to jobs listed by hirers for direct connections and placement and manages contracts, taxes, superannuation, payroll and insurances.

Sweep – The first community-based Augmented Reality (AR) shopping app, providing users a unique way to find, claim and share deals around them.

The Village Co. – A platform that allows venues to better cater to evolving family needs and enables kids to take control of their meal and entertainment.

VAPAR – A cloud platform that uses custom-built AI-models to identify faults in underground stormwater and sewer pipes based off video footage, speeding up the planning of repair and maintenance tasks from two weeks to two minutes.

Vspry – Digital wallet to securely save for your future health needs, enabling consumers to keep track of every transactions and manage their healthcare savings.

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