• Regional entrepreneurs from across NSW to pitch their business ideas at public online event on Monday 26 October
• Event is part of Charles Sturt Innovation Hubs: Ready to Launch program, which helps take businesses, products or services from idea to execution in just 10 weeks
• Award-winning speaker and author, Ms Lucy Bloom, to MC event

Twelve emerging entrepreneurs from Wagga Wagga, Albury-Wodonga and Port Macquarie will pitch the business ideas they have spent the past 10 weeks refining to a live online audience on Monday next week.

The event is the final step in the Charles Sturt University Innovation Hubs: Ready to Launch program, which helps emerging entrepreneurs take businesses, products or services from idea to execution in just 10 weeks.

Acting Charles Sturt Innovation Hubs Manager Ms Siobhain Howard said the 12 regional innovators are the program’s seventh cohort, but the first to complete the program and the pitch night completely online.

“The Ready to Launch entrepreneurs will, as always, present some incredibly innovative, unique and genius ideas at the pitch night event,” Ms Howard said.

“This is our seventh Ready to Launch cohort stepping up to the stage for pitch night, and, as for everyone, COVID-19 has certainly been a curveball when it comes to hosting events and programs. 

“We’ve had the opportunity in that though to do things a little differently this time around. This cohort is the first to complete the program and the pitch night completely online, so we’re particularly excited to see how the program has helped them to bring their ideas to life and how the program has taken shape in an online environment.”

The event will be MC’d by award-winning speaker and author, Ms Lucy Bloom.

Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr and Port Macquarie-Hasting Council Mayor Peta Pinson will also be attending the event.

Ready to Launch Incubator program facilitator Mr Stephen Rutter from The Scale Institute said, “We started the 10-week program with a number of solutions to ready-made problems.

“However, as participants started to seek validation of their business ideas, they were able to focus on the customers’ problems worth solving.”

The Charles Sturt Ready to Launch ‘Pitch Night’ event is on Monday 26 October at 6.30pm and is open to the public.

Registration for the event are available on the Eventbrite website. A link to view the event will be emailed to those registered closer to the event.