Last week, 20 local founders and innovation leaders travelled to Singapore for the West Tech Fest Meshpoints Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) Mission, a global initiative designed to connect local talent with international networks, investors, and ideas.
Delivered in partnership with West Tech Fest, Meshpoints, the Department of Energy and Economic Diversification, and SWITCH, and supported by Spacecubed and the Perth Landing Pad, the mission showcased WA innovation on one of Asia’s largest technology stages.
The delegation included 10 startup founders sponsored by West Tech Fest and 10 ecosystem supporters sponsored by Meshpoints, engaging in a curated week of innovation tours, global conferences, and networking sessions designed to open doors for future partnerships and investment. Among the attendees supported by Meshpoints were Nicola Bedwood, General Manager of Brightwater Care Group, Charlotta Kemp, Program and Community Lead at Founders Factory, Renu Kannu, National Robotics and Innovation Lead at CORE, and Josh Van Ross, Drone Sky Shows, who shared valuable insights from the experience (see the full lineup of delegates here!)
Nicola shared, “My biggest takeaway was seeing how intentionally Singapore is designing for an ageing future, not just through technology, but through policy, cross-sector collaboration, and human-centred innovation. It reinforced that aged care isn’t a slow sector; it’s a global innovation frontier, and WA and Brightwater have the capability to lead if we keep building the right partnerships.”
Beyond sector-specific insights, the mission also provided a valuable perspective on how ecosystems thrive at scale. Charlotta shared "The biggest takeaway is Singapore's success: immense innovation driven by unwavering vision and deep ecosystem alignment. This sets a powerful benchmark for how Team WA collaboration can accelerate growth back home in Western Australia."
Renu shared, "Singapore’s innovation ecosystem thrives on intentional collaboration, between government, academia, investors, and founders, creating a seamless pathway from idea to global market. That’s the standout lesson for WA: to scale beyond Australia, we need to build deeper cross-border partnerships, mobilise capital with purpose, and connect our startups to Asia’s fast-moving innovation hubs."
Josh added, "The Australian market is small but Perth has the entire South East Asian market on its doorstep and it is surprisingly accessible. There are a whole suite of organisations that are designed to help businesses grow through Singapore into SEA and the governments of both Australia and Singapore are extremely invested in making this happen."
The week officially began at Curtin Singapore, where delegates heard from Professor Alex Stojcevski and Dr Victor Tay before pitching to the Singaporean High Commissioner, Allaster Cox. From there, participants explored Singapore’s innovation infrastructure, including the brand new Punggol Digital District, home to cutting-edge product development and rapid prototyping, and LaunchPad @ One-North (also known as “Block 71”), which houses over 700 startups of all sizes, across 15 industry sectors.
During the week, team WA joined thousands of global innovators at SWITCH, immersing themselves in key themes shaping the future of technology, from advances in health and biomedical innovation to breakthroughs in quantum computing, fintech, robotics and artificial intelligence. Delegates explored Singapore’s cutting-edge research and startup ecosystem firsthand, engaging with international investors, corporates, and government leaders.
One highlight was for Graeme Speak, Founder of BankVault Cybersecurity, when he represented WA on the global stage, pitching his latest product - Masterkey - alongside 60 international startups as part of SWITCH’s global pitch competition. Given 6,000 startups entered this competition, it should be noted that BankVault got into the top 1% - a fantastic achievement.
The mission culminated with the official WA Government networking dinner, hosted by Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, celebrating the growing collaboration between Western Australia and Singapore’s thriving tech community. Each of the 10 WA startups pitched to an invited audience of Singaporean venture capitalists, investors and government representatives.
For many attendees, the mission was more than just a conference, it was a catalyst for new perspectives and renewed ambition for what’s possible in WA’s innovation ecosystem. The experience sparked conversations about how international collaboration can accelerate growth back home, both for individual organisations and the ecosystem as a whole.
“Missions like this expand our thinking, our networks, and our ambition. They help us move from local problem solving to global opportunity shaping. By learning from world-class ecosystems and connecting with like-minded organisations, we return to WA with not just inspiration, but pathways for collaboration, investment, and impact,” Nicola shared.
"We are strengthening WA’s global connections, creating pathways for founders and ecosystem leaders to collaborate internationally, and positioning our state as a growing hub for innovation and entrepreneurship,” Charlotta added.
Renu shared, "What stood out most was how powerful these international missions really are. Being there reminded me that it’s not just about attending another event, it’s about connection, collaboration and confidence. Every conversation, every site visit, every shared moment with Team WA built new bridges — to investors, partners, and ideas we might never reach from home."
Josh added, "Missions like this are invaluable. I made so many new contacts and being able to understand their ecosystem better has allowed me to advise startups looking to the SEA market as to what is available to them. Plus, seeing the intersection of government programs, universities and research institutions and the private sector all working together gave the delegation a better understanding of how to replicate a successful model here in WA."
As WA continues to grow as a hub for innovation, connecting with global ecosystems like Singapore’s is essential for scaling local capability and visibility.
These missions don’t just showcase WA talent, they build bridges for ongoing collaboration, bringing back insights, investor relationships, and best practices that strengthen the local ecosystem for years to come.
By supporting founders and ecosystem enablers to access opportunities like SWITCH, Meshpoints and its partners are helping WA innovation take its rightful place on the world stage, transforming local strengths into global impact.
Meshpoints is proud to support initiatives that connect, elevate, and amplify WA’s innovation community. Visit our website here to join over 170+ organisations working together to build a stronger, more connected innovation ecosystem across WA.
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