11 Aussie start-ups to battle it out for slot at Echelon 2013

Airtasker, LawPath and Pocketbook are among the 11 start-ups chosen to pitch at Echelon Ignite: Australia, but only one will progress to present to investors at a key event in Singapore later this year.

Echelon, which claims to be Asia’s largest tech conference, is organised by e27, a media company focused on growing Asia’s tech start-up ecosystem.

Echelon 2013 will be held in Singapore on June 4-5. Investors, mentors and industry leaders will discuss trends in digital, mobile, the internet and the direction of Asia’s tech industry.

More than 50 start-ups have been selected to showcase their innovations at the event’s Startup Marketplace, while 10 start-ups will vie for the title of Most Promising Startup.

Of these 10 start-ups, one will come from Australia.

Echelon Ignite – a spinoff of Echelon – has revealed the 11 start-ups that will pitch at Echelon Ignite: Australia, to be held in Sydney on May 8. They are as follows:

Airtasker – allows consumers to outsource everyday chores and errands.

AgendaSelects – a marketplace for subscription commerce, enabling people to receive their favourite products on a recurring basis.

CloudHerd – provides farmers and purchasers of livestock with an inventorying and auctioning platform.

Divvy Parking – lets homeowners rent out their driveways, garages and apartment parking.

DriveList – offers consumers a booking service to select as many vehicles as they want to test drive for free.

LawPath – connects businesses with specialist lawyers with recent and relevant experience.

Mathspace – offers students online maths training “like you’ve never seen before”.

Pocketbook – gives consumers a simple tool to manage their spending and personal finances.

SoundGecko (121cast) – lets users listen to news, websites and documents.

WorkDivision – changes the way companies process paper-based or electronic forms.

Feedback Loop­ ­– makes testimonials about your business more credible and relevant so that more customers choose you. ­

These start-ups will pitch to a panel of business mentors and innovation-focused investors for a slot at Echelon 2013. Optus and SingTel Innov8 are on board as key partners of the event.

Edgar Hardless, chief executive of SingTel Innov8, said in a statement the event draws attention to the significant market opportunity that exists for Australian start-ups in Asia.

“[The event] also brings market insights with a notable list of guest speakers,” Hardless said.

Mohan Belani, co-founder and chief executive of e27, said in a statement his company is looking forward to hosting Echelon Ignite in Australia this year.

“For the past few years, the Echelon brand and platform has been growing in Southeast Asian markets as a beneficial platform for start-ups and investors to meet and explore opportunities with each other,” Belani said.

“We want to bring that same benefit to Australians who are looking at growth opportunities in markets close to home.”