September 22, 2017

Business incubator opens its doors to the community

iAccelerate demo day showcases innovative start-ups. 

A collection of the Illawarra’s best and brightest entrepreneurs will be on show this Friday (22 September) as part of the 2017 iAccelerate Demo Day.

Residents from UOW’s successful iAccelerate business incubator will lead a series of demonstrations, giving investors, business leaders and the wider community the opportunity to engage with local and innovative businesses.

The event will feature a fully interactive smart guitar that teaches guitarists at any level through LED lights, a Formula One racing simulator, a social wellbeing program for seniors and a new device that aims to reduce the time between a motor vehicle accident and emergency service response, among others.

iAccelerate Chief Executive Officer, Omar Khalifa, said the event gives local entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase the thriving innovation and technology hub that is iAccelerate.

“We have people and businesses housed within iAccelerate who are solving real-life problems and coming up with new and innovative concepts that can entertain, educate and support the wider community,” he said.

“Demo Day is all about rubbing shoulders and exposing a wider audience to the fantastic ideas that come out of these four walls.”

The iAccelerate Demo Day will feature a number of breakout sessions featuring iAccelerate residents, a tour of the iAccelerate Centre, information sessions and an official welcome by Mr Khalifa.

iAccelerate Demo Day will be held on Friday 22 September from 10am to 3pm, as part of the Wollongong Fringe Festival. The event is open to the public and free to attend.

iAccelerate is a university-owned business incubator, providing infrastructure, mentoring and education programs to help grow and connect entrepreneurs with funding opportunities. The tailored acceleration programs aim to rapidly develop technology-focused businesses, with the building featuring “plug and go” expandable space for more than 280 entrepreneurs.

Since its inception in 2012 iAccelerate has supported 90 start-up companies, assisting entrepreneurs in their quest to turn concepts into companies.

Applications for the 2018 iAccelerate intake close Tuesday 3 October 2017. For more information visit the website.