The Pitch shortlist is here: 10 Aussie startups that will vie for a big win next week

Over the last few weeks, SmartCompany has welcomed entries to the Pitch, our early stage startup competition hosted in partnership with AWS, The Commons and Pin Payments.

After receiving a mountain of fantastic pitches from around the country, we’re ready to share our 10 shortlisted entries.

Next week, members of the startup and VC communities join our host Robyn Foyster in Sydney to hear their pitches. Our guest judging panel: Alex Khor of AfterWork Ventures, Kylie Frazer of Flying Fox Ventures, Adrian Osman of Mr Yum, John Kearney of AWS and Chris Dahl of Pin Payments, will choose one winner. The winner will receive a $100,000 boost in AWS credits, and a one-on-one support session with Pin Payments.

Here, we announce the 10 shortlisted candidates. They are, in no particular order:

LUMOS

This startup enables businesses to harness the power of the gig economy for their marketing and advertising. IoT-enabled LED smart bags used for food and beverage delivery can serve dynamic ads, and track campaign performance and geographic coverage within the LUMOS platform.

Gravy

Here’s a gift giving app with a difference. Instead of purchasing and sending items for one another, Gravy allows users to give their friends and family the gift of their time, through favours, skills and good deeds.

Metaboly

This app aims to reduce the impact of type 2 diabetes by helping patients combine and manage their clinical management tools — until now only done on paper — with their diet and exercise goals, in the same style as a fitness app. Behavioural change is an effective and necessary step in the management of type 2 diabetes, says Metaboly‘s pitch, but experiences very high levels of patient drop off, which has a lot to do with being managed on paper.

Melo

This life management app lets families and households streamline their lives, sharing the burden of managing their day-to-day productivity. Current solutions, the Melo team says, “exacerbate the problem, reinforcing the primary carer as project manager.” Much like project management software in the workplace, it consists of a calendar, logs tasks and manages huddles, among other things.

Zipr

Zipr aims to redefine the resale marketplace. Currently, poor search functions and difficulty with sizing and item condition are roadblocks to a great user experience. And, when 97% of Generation Z use social media to shop, according to Forbes, there’s an opportunity. Zipr ‘unites local fashionistas on a global scale’ letting them post videos to share their style, make and take offers in-app, and organise exchanges.

Grubalo

Grubalo helps pubs, bars and clubs promote their events and offers to punters. For customers, it bills itself as the ‘Uber Eats of finding a pub’, searching and finding the right place based on the promotions and events they’re interested in — be they performances, trivia night, discounts or happy hours.

KomplyAi

This platform aims to help governments and enterprises manage their move to using AI technologies in a compliant manner. It contains a library of AI use cases, is broken down into geographic markets and their necessary controls. It has a risk assessment tool, which determines risk and makes recommendations, and compiles a number of other tools to help with upcoming AI legislations.

DeepMeds

DeepMeds is a team of radiology, machine learning and business professionals on a mission to reduce the amount of contrast agent used in medical imaging tests, to save money and improve patient health. Contrast agents are injected into the body to improve the quality of MRI images. According to the DeepMeds team, they represent the biggest expense for consumable items in the radiology department. DeepMeds has reduced the use of contrast agents by 80%.

Cya on the Road

Cya on the Road turns the smartphone into the tour guide. With audio guides and directions, the app aims to connect transport, accommodation, dining and attraction options and is available in more than 90 countries.

Borlen

Borlen lets people and businesses make money off their un-used items by hiring them out or lending them. Users can search, find and be put in contact with lenders of the item they hope to hire, all facilitated through the app. According to AFR, the sharing economy is expected to be worth $7.96 billion in Australia and the peer-to-peer rental market is expected to hit $48.8 billion, according to Gumtree.