The City of Perth Plus Eight Pre-Accelerator wrapped up last week with an inspiring Pitch Night, marking six weeks of growth, learning, and connection. More than 100 founders, mentors, investors, and supporters came together to celebrate 16 emerging startups who refined and elevated their ideas through the program.
Powered by Spacecubed and proudly supported by the City of Perth, the Plus Eight Pre-Accelerator helps early-stage founders validate their business models, build traction, and grow with confidence. Over the course of the program, participants gained access to expert-led workshops, dedicated mentoring, and coworking space at Riff, surrounded by a thriving community of founders, investors, and advisors.
After six weeks of hands-on development, each startup took to the stage to pitch their ideas to a full house, with solutions spanning AI, health and wellbeing, sustainability, legal tech, and community innovation.
Congratulations to this year’s winners:
- 1st Place, Tradie Scribe (Kyan Jones & Kyle De Souza): An AI-powered app for trades that converts voice notes into professional job reports and quotes in seconds, helping tradies save time and streamline communication.
- 2nd Place, Arlo Keepsakes (Rachel Roscoe): A remembrance company supporting families who have experienced miscarriage or stillbirth through personalised, meaningful keepsakes.
- 3rd Place, Peoila (Anthony Nieves): An AI-powered skincare platform that uses facial scanning to recommend personalised skincare products, making beauty simpler and more effective.
- Crowd Choice, The Goodest Boy (Ada Chung): A premium pet lifestyle brand creating eco-conscious, toxin-tested, and research-backed products designed to enrich the lives of dogs and their owners.
Winners received a range of prizes, including Spacecubed Founder Memberships and tickets to Freo Startup Fest, running as part of West Tech Fest in December. The top team, Tradie Scribe, also earned the exciting opportunity to pitch live at Freo Startup Fest, where they’ll compete for the Golden Ticket Prize, granting the winner a place at Southstart in Adelaide.
The success of the program wouldn’t have been possible without the dedicated mentors who guided participants through every step of their journey, including Tim Sondalini, Britney Victor, Eduardo Morales, Melissa Grove, Paul Cannavan, and Pia Turcinov, as well as our judging panel, Jeroen Van Dalen, Matheus Mello, Flic Manning, and Danielle Riebe, who brought valuable insight and encouragement to the stage.
As the program wrapped up, many founders reflected on how the experience helped them grow.
“I’d recommend the program to any early startup, it’s a great way to learn and validate your concept in an open and supportive environment,” shared Crowd’s Choice winner, Ada Chung.
“The biggest highlight for me was the support from the entire ecosystem. Everyone wants to champion you, to take risks, and to be your best version,” reflected Scott Sullivan, founder of EdMagine.
Alice Abba, founder of Romi shared, “I walked into the program with nothing more than an idea, and walked out with a validated concept, a pitch deck, and a clearer understanding of what it takes to build a startup in Perth. My biggest takeaway? Momentum beats perfection. You don’t need to have it all figured out, just start, test, and keep showing up.”
The Plus Eight Pre-Accelerator continues to play a vital role in developing early-stage startups and strengthening Australia’s innovation pipeline, with programs now running across Perth and Sydney. Through access to experienced mentors, hands-on learning, and a powerful founder network, Plus Eight helps entrepreneurs turn bold ideas into scalable, impactful businesses.
As we look ahead to 2026, we’re excited to continue empowering founders through our Plus Eight Academy programs, equipping changemakers nationwide with the tools, confidence, and community to grow. Ready to take the next step? Learn more about our programs and express your interest to be the first to know when applications open.
