Over the weekend of November 15-17, Riff was alive with energy and inspiration as we hosted our 21st edition of Startup Weekend in Perth, in partnership with the City of Perth, Venture UWA and Student Edge. Designed exclusively for students, this exciting youth edition of Startup Weekend brought together some of Perth’s brightest young minds, united by their shared passion for entrepreneurship, creativity, and drive to create something amazing.
The 54-hour entrepreneurial sprint kicked off on Friday evening with over 60 students from diverse educational institutions, including the University of Western Australia, Curtin University, Murdoch University, and IDEA Academy. Each participant had just 60 seconds to pitch their innovative ideas to an eager audience. With the room buzzing with excitement, initial ideas ranged from ambitious tech solutions to creative services, culminating in the formation of seven dynamic teams ready to take on the challenge of building a startup from scratch.
Over the course of the weekend, Saturday and Sunday were jam-packed with development, learning, and problem-solving. Teams dove deep into customer validation, prototyping, and business model creation under the guidance of expert mentors, including Jasmin Ward, Malcolm Gordon, Paul Cannavan, Matt Ainsworth, Josh Van Ross, Anna Lee and Sean Oldenburger. The highs and lows of startup life were felt as teams tackled challenges and refined their concepts.
By Sunday evening, the energy in the room was electric as the grande finale Pitch Night welcomed friends, family and a community of supporters. Each team had just three minutes to pitch their startup to our esteemed panel of judges, including Lauren Hardy, General Manager of Spacecubed, Sean Wharton, Co-Founder of Shiine Media, and Brandon White-Harris, Community Manager of Bloom and Founder of ClubClub — a venture born during our last Startup Weekend All Stars edition back in June. The presentations were followed by a rapid-fire Q&A session, adding an extra layer of excitement and challenge.
Get to know each business born out of Startup Weekend Student Edition, below.
- PulseDrop: A platform designed to simplify the learning process of becoming a DJ, offering a more accessible experience than existing apps.
- Borderless: A box offering a cultural experience that brings international students closer to home while allowing others to explore new cultures, featuring food, music, and activities from local shops.
- Make Your Mark: A community bridging young ideas with corporate CSR to solve socio-environmental challenges.
- Moleclue: A platform designed to accelerate scientific research by automating its key components using computational modelling.
- Lock-In Labs: A 24-hour study space designed by students, for students, providing a comfortable and flexible environment to work around the clock.
- Ware Up: Ware Up aims to boost warehouse performance through cost-effective solutions and eco-friendly practices, offering SMEs the opportunity to rent space in a large, sustainable green warehouse.
- KoalaWala: A software solution that utilises deep learning to identify mispronunciation of sounds and incorporate that into a gamified experience that will engage children.
After careful deliberation, the judges announced the top three teams. Ware Up took third place, earning two months of coworking at Spacecubed, access to our Office Hours mentor program, and coffee vouchers from Joey Zaza’s. In second place, Make Your Mark received four months of coworking, along with the same mentor access and coffee perks. The top prize went to KoalaWala, who claimed six months of coworking and the additional rewards mentioned above.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the weekend! Your creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit were truly inspiring. This event highlighted the incredible potential of our local student community to dream big and develop innovative solutions.
Missed out on this Startup Weekend? Don’t worry — there are plenty more opportunities ahead in 2025. If you’re interested in joining our business growth programs, like Startup Weekend, and taking your entrepreneurial journey to the next level, you can express your interest here!
