Over the weekend, the next wave of student entrepreneurs gathered for Tech for Tomorrow: Student Startup Weekend, an intense 54-hour sprint of ideation, collaboration, and innovation. Hosted at Riff, powered by Spacecubed, and made possible by the City of Perth, Venture UWA, and Student Edge, this edition of Startup Weekend brought together students from diverse backgrounds, all eager to develop and launch their own venture.
The weekend kicked off with a high-energy 60-second pitch round, where students had the chance to present their startup concepts. Excitement filled the room as teams quickly formed and dived headfirst into customer validation, product development, and business modeling, all under the mentorship of experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts.
Throughout the weekend, participants faced the real-life challenges of building a startup, overcoming obstacles, refining their ideas, and preparing for the grand finale — Pitch Night. By Sunday evening, the anticipation was electric as teams presented their startups before a panel of esteemed judges and an audience of peers, mentors, and supporters.
After a weekend of innovation and perseverance, three standout teams impressed the judges with their creative solutions:
1st Place – ParkMate
A smarter way to park on campus. ParkMate connects drivers with affordable private parking spaces, tackling high costs and limited availability while allowing locals to earn by renting out unused driveways. ParkMate won a 6-month coworking membership at Riff, a Curtin Startup Weekend Golden Ticket, access to the Spacecubed Office Hours program, and Joey Zaza’s Coffee Vouchers.
2nd Place – Elite Recruit
AI-powered recruitment made smarter. Elite Recruit is a hybrid HR agent that reduces hiring time by 30%, lowers recruitment costs, and minimizes bias, offering a faster and more efficient alternative to traditional hiring processes. Elite Recruit won a 4-month coworking membership at Riff, a Curtin Startup Weekend Golden Ticket, access to the Spacecubed Office Hours program, and Joey Zaza’s Coffee Vouchers.
3rd Place – MatchMaker.Live
Finding love beyond the swipe. MatchMaker.Live uses MBTI personality matching to create deeper, more meaningful connections for young adults, offering tailored matches and personalised date ideas. MatchMaker.Live won a 2-month coworking membership at Riff, a Curtin Startup Weekend Golden Ticket, access to the Spacecubed Office Hours program, and Joey Zaza’s Coffee Vouchers.
A huge thank you to our esteemed judges, Chloe Bull, Michelle Wong, and Cam Thorn, for their valuable feedback and insights, helping teams refine their ideas and business strategies.
Additionally, our mentors, including Cema Santos, Brandon White-Harris, Jasmin Ward, Malcolm Gordon, Sean Wharton, Paul Cannavan, Harriet Bartlett, and Nathan Wipane, played a crucial role in guiding students through the entrepreneurial journey.
For many participants, Tech for Tomorrow: Student Startup Weekend was just the start of their entrepreneurial path. With access to coworking spaces, mentorship, and resources from Spacecubed, they now have the opportunity to develop their ideas further and turn them into real ventures.
There are plenty more opportunities ahead in 2025! Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay updated on upcoming startup events, workshops, and business growth programs. Click here to sign up and join our community of innovators!
