Hyman’s Palace triumph proves a lifechanger
GOLD Coast surf industry icon Nev Hyman has told how his life has changed since winning the global final of the Duke of York’s Pitch@Palace competition for entrepreneurs last year.
Addressing this year’s Australian finalists in Brisbane, board-shaper Hyman said the rollercoaster ride began at Bond University when he first pitched the idea behind Nev-house, which turns recycled materials into homes, schools and medical clinics.
“All of a sudden I’m at Bond, a fantastic university, and I feel like an academic now because I’m involved with Bond and I’m talking there sometimes and I haven’t finished Year 12, so it’s a privilege,” he said.
Things got James Bond-ish when Hyman was announced the winner of Pitch@Palace at St James’s Palace in London in December last year.
“They (Pitch@Palace organisers) do what they say they’ll do which is introduce you to people. I can’t even tell you the people they introduced me to, but it’s impressive,” he said.
But it hasn’t been all plain sailing.
“I had litigation this year, completely unrelated to Nev-house … a disgruntled shareholder who just wanted to pull money out because he had to and he had the money to take action against me. We settled that last week. That slowed down our whole business because you can’t raise capital while you’re facing litigation.
“Life will get in the way. Keep pushing through it.”