Pitching to royalty
TWO Gold Coast entrepreneurs are hoping for the royal blessing when they hit the stage for the business pitch of their lives at St James Palace in London tomorrow morning (AEST).
Alisha Geary and surf industry icon Nev Hyman are two of three Australians competing to be crowned the global winner of the Pitch@Palace competition.
They will go head-to-head against entrepreneurs from around the world when they pitch their business ideas to an audience including The Duke of York Prince Andrew as well as technology, media and investment figures.
Ms Geary, an indigenous Bond University graduate and founder of Faebella, even has star power behind her, with NRL legend Johnathan Thurston telling her she was “doing our people proud”.
Faebella is a luxury activewear brand featuring indigenous art, which aims to share the cultural history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a contemporary way.
Ms Geary was inspired through her volunteer work as a guide for the Corrigan Walk Art Tour – Australia’s largest, private modern indigenous art collection – which is displayed throughout Bond’s Gold Coast campus.
Bond University ViceChancellor Professor Tim Brailsford said he was “extraordinarily proud” of Ms Geary’s efforts.
“Pitch@Palace Australia will provide Alisha and her fellow entrepreneurs with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase their talent on the world’s stage, and potentially receive global exposure and investment,” Prof Brailsford said.
Mr Hyman’s pitch is for NevHouse, a business which turns recycled plastic and other sustainable materials into low-cost homes, schools and medical clinics.
Mr Hyman, the founder of the Nev Future Shapes and Firewire Surfboards businesses, wants to take his concept worldwide to address global housing problems.
“Being part of the Pitch@Palace competition has helped our business NevHouse; the timing could not have been better to be in the UK,” Mr Hyman said.
“From the first moment we met Prince Andrew at Bond, the association of being part of Pitch@Palace has been worth its weight in gold.”
Pitch@Palace Global aims to create a global platform for entrepreneurs to access mentors and advisers, distribution systems and supply chains, connections and investment.