Calibre Hosting scoops MEGA win

Calibre Hosting, a gaming start-up run by an 18-year-old, has won the inaugural MEGA/Ninefold Most Promising Cloud Start-up at this year’s MEGA NSW Pitch Day.

The business, run by CEO Antonius Mulder, launched earlier this year. It claims to be the world’s first game service provider available via the cloud.

It offers a point of difference by providing gamers with better services during the off-peak 7pm to 3am period.

Calibre Hosting says that its service improves the online experience for gamers and reduces performance issues. It is also targeting ISPs and game studios to reach their communities of gaming fans.

The business, which won $1,500 along with the top prize, emerged from a 12-strong field that was continuously mentored and coached over the previous four months.

Each of the businesses had to pitch to a panel of experts at the Australian Technology Park Innovations Centre, with Calibre Hosting judged to be the most promising cloud-based proposition.

Mulder says: “We received considerable support and counsel from Ninefold and MEGA during the competition and are grateful for this.”

“Getting airtime with senior professionals isn’t easy when you’re first starting out without a foot already in the door. The demand from gamers is there, the figures are extremely compelling so we’re excited about our future.”

Peter James, MD of public cloud provider Ninefold, a sponsor of the event, adds: “We were incredibly impressed by Calibre Hosting’s proposition – it targets the fiercely loyal, hard-to-reach gaming audience and offers cloud providers an opportunity to leverage redundant capacity.”

“As CEO, Antonius combines extremely strong commercial awareness with articulate communication skills and has the making of a true entrepreneur.”

Roger Kermode, NSW state manager, MEGA, says: “Any entrepreneur would understand that a strong mentor can inspire them on to great things, so it’s imperative we support start-ups at every stage of their operations and provide them with the insights and connections to take their business to the next level.”