THINKING GLOBALLY
Alisha Geary, the energetic founder of the Faebella activewear brand, has the chance to showcase her creation on the world stage
GOLD Coast entrepreneur Alisha Geary, creator of luxury activewear brand Faebella, was crowned a winner of the inaugural Pitch@Palace Australia start-up competition by Prince Andrew.
Ms Geary is one of three national winners, including fellow Gold Coast innovator Nev Hyman of NevHouse and Ben Armstrong of HireUp in Sydney, who will represent Australia at the global final of Pitch@Palace in London.
Ms Geary’s idea was originally inspired through her volunteer work as a guide for the Corrigan Walk Art Tour at Bond University.
From this idea, Faebella was born, and through Bond Business Accelerator – the university’s incubator program for early stage start-ups, she developed her business concept into a start-up.
Faebella’s mission is to share the rich culture and history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by presenting their art on active wear and now thanks to Pitch@Palace, Ms Geary will embark on her first overseas trip and have the chance to showcase her idea on a global stage at St James’s Palace in London.
Ms Geary, who grew up between Cairns and the Torres Strait Islands, received the 2013 Bond University Indigenous Community Excellence Scholarship to study business and law.
“I am the first person in my family to attend university, so receiving the indigenous scholarship at Bond University changed my life,” she said.
Bond University ViceChancellor Professor Tim Brailsford said he was proud of Ms Geary’s efforts in the Pitch@Palace competition.
“Pitch@Palace Australia will provide Alisha and her fellow entrepreneurs with a once-in-alifetime opportunity to showcase their talent on the world’s stage, and potentially receive global exposure and investment,” Professor Brailsford said.
“We were honoured to have The Duke of York visit Bond University, and very proud to be host of the northern leg of Pitch@Palace Australia.”
Ms Geary’s fellow Gold Coast winner, Nev Hyman, is a former surfboard shaper and the creator of NevHouse, a business that turns recycled plastic and other sustainable materials into low cost homes, schools and medical clinics.
The structures are constructed in five days or less and function off the grid.
Pitch@Palace is designed to support, enhance and add value to start-up and scale-up companies by providing a platform for entrepreneurs and audiences to meet, network and hear the great ideas that are being commercialised and built by the next generation of entrepreneurs.