The best startups in South West Sydney

South West Sydney’s brightest innovators were given a chance to tell their stories at Pitch Night South West at the Liverpool Powerhouse.

The initiative was led by UNSW Founders and featured eight finalists who pitched their business and social change ideas tackling key societal challenges.

They ranged from harnessing the benefits of AI and giving solar panels a second life, to migration settlement services and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The winner was HELP NOW, amultilingual emergency app for people requiring an interpreter when ringing triple-0, founded by Jasmine Deol and Richard Lau.

Second prize and People’s Choice Award went to Aether Diagnostics, an at-home test for fast, accurate detection of vaginal yeast infections, founded by Jada Khorram.

In third place was Hello Again Solar, a recycling and reuse initiative giving a second life to solar panels, created by Rong Deng.

UNSW vice-chancellor professor Attila Brungs, said the event exemplified the university’s commitment to backing bold ideas, creativity and ambition from local innovators.

“Pitch Night South West is a powerful example of what happens when opportunity meets potential,” he said.

“UNSW is deeply invested in the growth and development of South West Sydney and we’re proud to be building a community of courageous, creative thinkers who will shape the future of the region and beyond.”

The event was part of the UNSW Founders Liverpool Innovation Program, which creates opportunities for underrepresented founders – including women, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) entrepreneurs, and social entrepreneurs who are often underrepresented in Australia’s startup landscape.

Liverpool MP and UNSW alumna Charishma Kaliyanda said Pitch Night South West was a stage to celebrate the brilliant thinkers and problem-solvers who would take the region forward.

“We know that great ideas don’t have a postcode. Whether it’s a life-changing medical breakthrough, a tech solution to the issue of solar panel waste or a social enterprise making a difference, we want those ideas to start here, to grow here, to create jobs in this region,” she said.

“But … innovation isn’t just about the product, it’s about the people, the passion, the persistence, and the community that rallies around you.”