Tailored mobile apps, project planning software and a mobility equipment platform all make it to RiverPitch

The Roundabout, a startup which hopes to make it easier for people in need to access disability and mobility equipment, was one of six bright startup ideas that took part in River City Labs’ River Pitch earlier this week.

The Roundabout provides an online platform where people who have perfectly good aids but no longer need them can list them for sale, giving people in need cheaper access to expensive equipment.

RiverPitch is an invite-only event which brings together investment-ready ideas with actual investors in order to help ideas get funded.

No investment is raised on the night, but RiverPitch organiser Peta Ellis says the event opens a dialogue between the startups taking part and possible investors.

“RiverPitch is the place where the conversations start,” Ellis says.

“We had some great results from previous RiverPitch startups raising capital.

“No offers or deals are executed on the night. However, it is certainly a catalyst for future engagement between the entrepreneur and the interested investor.

“The ideas were well developed and the entrepreneurs articulated their business opportunity very well.”

While there are no winners on the night, there is a People’s Choice award, which acknowledges the entrepreneur who delivered a confident, well-articulated and engaging pitch, and that went to Scrunch founder Danielle Lewis.

Scrunch bills itself as “fashion connected”, linking brands, people and products to editorial content. It is a service which notifies users when their brands, products, websites, name or profiles are mentioned in “millions of global blogs and websites”.

Other startups taking part included:

• BizForms; A web and smartphone app that acts as a stepping stone for companies seeking to create more efficient, sustainable and personable work environments.
• Appenate; A mobile app platform which rapidly creates apps creates tailored mobile apps for enterprise, with no programming required.
• Pimovation – Grapple; Project planning software that allows users to plan projects by integrating project planning documents and task management in one tool.
• Social.IQ; A platform that enables powerful social engagement across organisations.

The six startups were the best of 35 applicants who applied to be part of the latest RiverPitch, the fifth of its kind.