Telstra heads into space with muru-D #SYD3

Aquatic drones that inspect underwater assets and a technology ride-sharing service to space aboard nano-satellites, are two of the latest startups to be accepted into the Telstra-backed startup accelerator, muru-D.

Kicking off from 1 February 2016, the ten successful startups will be offered up to $60,000 in seed capital investment and will benefit from a highly developed network of mentors and industry professionals.

Annie Parker, Co-Founder of muru-D said it was very encouraging to see so many applications for the program, a firm reminder of how wider community sentiment and support can make entrepreneurship and innovative concepts really flourish.

“We accepted 390 registrations and 171 completed applications and were blown away by some of the creative ideas we received this year. Between the drones, the nano-satellites, apps and internet of things platforms, this intake has raised the bar again and reminded us what an incredibly exciting time it is to be part of today’s technology landscape. I’m also thrilled to say that this year 60 percent of the startups have a female founder or team member, which is almost double the industry average,” she said.

CEO and Co-founder of Abyss Solutions, Nasir Ahsan, sees the opportunity to fast-track his business as the biggest potential value-add muru-D offers: “muru-D has a track record of helping startups to get their show on the road. With muru-D we hope we can achieve in six months’ time, what we could only dream about achieving in years. We want to learn how to acquire clients quickly, which market segment to target first and how to strategically bootstrap our way into the next world,” he said.

The ten successful startups selected for muru-D #SYD3 class are:

• Abyss Solutions - provides automated (robotic) asset inspections with a specific focus on underwater assets, i.e. waterways and reservoirs.
• Drive Yello - a service ensuring the efficient and reliable delivery of food by allowing food service businesses to search, book, manage, pay, train and monitor their delivery drivers.
• ELLA - Educators Lifelong Learning App is a “fitbit” for teacher’s professional growth.
• Fluid Education - web and mobile app for schools, combining homework management, learning resources, student reporting, and communication into a single, unified experience.
• Helian Systems - software infrastructure for Internet of Things that connects the sensors to existing business applications.
• Our Little Foxes - craft and activity box subscription for kids aged three to 10 years old.
• Persollo – a tool that makes selling online, making donations or trading services quick and easy by using a simple URL.
• Quberider - allows experiments by students to be conducted in space using a technology ride sharing service to space aboard nano-satellites.
• Simpla - allows web developers to build better websites, web apps, and tools much faster by enabling edits to be made live on a page.
• Uprise - a mobile app that provides preventative mental health support to employees and improves their productivity.

Clive Dickens, Chief Digital Officer, Seven West Media said Simpla will also receive specialist digital media mentoring and support as part of an agreement with Seven West Media to support startups in the media industry.

“Seven West Media is embracing disruption as an enabler and we are committed to supporting entrepreneurs and startups with great ideas – our new partnership with muru-D allows us to do both,” he said.

“muru-D is fully committed to supporting and growing entrepreneurial talent in Australia by giving the successful startup founders the platform they need to take their ideas from concept to growth,” Annie concluded.

For more information head to: muru-d.com.

About muru-D
muru-D is the startup accelerator backed by Telstra, which aims to support the very best tech entrepreneurial talent that the Asia Pacific region has to offer. By providing mentoring, tailored acceleration services and investment to early stage technology companies, muru-D’s goal is to help Australia and South East Asia become centres of digital business.