17 South Australian businesses were presented with the opportunity to pitch for investment on Thursday, during a unique initiative made possible by the convergence of venture capitalists in Adelaide for the weekend’s AFL Gather Round event.
Hosted behind closed doors by the South Australian Business Chamber, in collaboration with Wealth and Investment Management group Morgan Stanley Australia, and the Department for Trade and Investment’s sub-branch Invest SA, the event showcased businesses spanning Space, Defence, Tech, Bio Tech, Manufacturing, and Food.
Each company delivered compelling pitches in rapid-fire 15-minute presentations, vying for crucial investment to fuel their growth and innovation.
Stephen Hunt, Chairman of ASX-listed, Sparc Technologies used his short amount of time to provide insight into their unique technology portfolio.
Sparc is focused on the development of graphene-based additive materials for high-performance anticorrosive paints and renewable energy technologies to produce green hydrogen from photocatalytic water splitting which enables the production of green hydrogen without the need for electricity and anode material for sodium-ion batteries.
They have a joint venture agreement with the University of Adelaide and the Fortescue Group to develop next-generation green technology and a mission to help deliver a more sustainable world and reshape multi-billion-dollar global markets by developing and employing exclusive IP.
“We present a unique suite of technologies for investors who are looking to join us on our pathway to market”, Mr Hunt said during his pitch.
“In a significant step towards commercialisation, we have recently reached a binding agreement with the Government of South Australia to run a pilot program where our graphene-based additive product will be trailed in the field.
“By testing our patented ecosparc product in anticorrosive coatings on state-owned assets, we aim to increase the time between maintenance events and inevitably lengthening asset lifespan and saving taxpayer money, along with benefiting the environment”, Hunt added.
The event was held at the Chamber’s head office, and was attended by business, investors, and government representatives.
Andrew Kay, CEO of the South Australian Business Chamber says AFL Gather Round has given local businesses the chance to connect with interstate investor groups.
“AFL Gather Round has brought benefits beyond the obvious influx of tourists to our state,” he said.
“For the second year running, we have been able to showcase some of our leading businesses to powerful interstate investor groups.
“These are groups who would not normally come to SA and AFL Gather Round has been the catalyst for them to come across en masse.
“We have many outstanding local businesses looking to scale or take their innovation to the world,” he added. “They are looking for investment partners to take that next step.
“South Australia is performing well on many fronts as a place to live and work, but we need to attract more investment and events such as these are a great way of building our networks.”
This is the second-year businesses have had the chance to invest as a result of the AFL Gather Round, with The South Australian Business Chamber, Morgan Stanley and Invest SA presenting 15 businesses to investors in 2023 ahead of the AFL Gather Round inaugural event.
