Budding entrepreneurs set to take to global stage after Spacecubed’s Plus Eight Accelerator program

The six-month intensive Plus Eight Accelerator program will reach an exciting finish on 19 September, as seven teams of budding entrepreneurs pitch their business growth and expansion plans to a sold-out audience.

 

The program attracted applications from around the globe, with the aspiring start-ups vying for the chance to be mentored by seasoned entrepreneurs and industry leaders over six months, culminating in Wednesday’s Demo Night where the budding businesses will present their ideas to investors, mentors, media and the Perth start-up community.

 

As part of Plus Eight Accelerator program, teams received access to seed funding, six months of mentorship from industry professionals in their field, and access to Hawaiian’s co-working spaces, Riff and FLUX as they scaled and grew their businesses, to a value totalling over $400,000.

 

Amongst the start-up businesses are Kooda, a Perth-based crowdsourced organic-waste collection service, travel platform Airguides, beauty company Lily and Fox, modular art provider Mureus, online marketplace SpacetoCo, carer-app Kin Childcare and Udrew – a platform for managing building approvals from local councils.

 

Hawaiian General Manager of Office Buildings Richard Kilbane said it was important for Hawaiian to champion budding entrepreneurs and provide them with resources to grow.

 

 

“All the start-ups in the Plus Eight Accelerator program began with one great idea that grew into a business, and we hope to help them expand that business into something that will hopefully have a national and even a global impact,” Richard said.

 

 

“Involvement with the program has seen these businesses travel to Silicon Valley for sessions with the minds behind Growth Hacker and Dropbox, and have access to some of the world’s best entrepreneurial talents.”

 

 

Start-ups from previous cohorts have gone on to make waves internationally, with 2017 alum Humm – a neurotechnology start-up – having relocated to San Franciso after securing Silicon Valley-based funding. Other success stories have seen QuizJam sign a partnership with Canadian tech company Bravio.

 

 

When asked how hard it would have been to start Humm without Plus Eight, CEO & Co-founder Iain McIntyre said, "Somewhere between impossible and improbable."

 

The 2018 Plus Eight Cohort

 

Udrew, a platform for managing custom building projects to receive instant council approval.

 

Kin Childcare, an app facilitating the hiring of reliable, trustworthy and available carers‚ even at the last minute, from scheduling to payment. ‍

 

Mureus, a modular art startup that creates customisable magnetic modular art for large spaces. ‍

 

Airguides (formally Hopolla), a platform connecting travellers with influencers, to help guide their holidays and connect them to people in the same destination. ‍

 

SpacetoCo, an online marketplace for individuals to easily list their space for the general community and handle locational searches, availability, two-way reviews and payments.

 

‍Kooda, is a crowdsourced organic-waste collection service using technology to make it clean, easy and efficient for every kitchen to divert food-scraps from landfill or burning. ‍

 

Lily and Fox, who have developed an alternative to nail polish that takes advantage of materials and chemical technologies and creates no drying time, no mess and can support very complex coatings.

 

The six-month intensive Plus Eight Accelerator program will reach an exciting finish on 19 September, as seven teams of budding entrepreneurs pitch their business growth and expansion plans to a sold-out audience.
The program attracted applications from around the globe, with the aspiring start-ups vying for the chance to be mentored by seasoned entrepreneurs and industry leaders over six months, culminating in Wednesday’s Demo Night where the budding businesses will present their ideas to investors, mentors, media and the Perth start-up community. 
As part of Plus Eight Accelerator program, teams received access to seed funding, six months of mentorship from industry professionals in their field, and access to Hawaiian’s co-working spaces, Riff and FLUX as they scaled and grew their businesses, to a value totalling over $400,000.
Amongst the start-up businesses are Kooda, a Perth-based crowdsourced organic-waste collection service, travel platform Airguides, beauty company Lily and Fox, modular art provider Mureus, online marketplace SpacetoCo, carer-app Kin Childcare and Udrew – a platform for managing building approvals from local councils. 
Hawaiian General Manager of Office Buildings Richard Kilbane said it was important for Hawaiian to champion budding entrepreneurs and provide them with resources to grow.
“All the start-ups in the Plus Eight Accelerator program began with one great idea that grew into a business, and we hope to help them expand that business into something that will hopefully have a national and even a global impact,” Richard said.
“Involvement with the program has seen these businesses travel to Silicon Valley for sessions with the minds behind Growth Hacker and Dropbox, and have access to some of the world’s best entrepreneurial talents.”
Start-ups from previous cohorts have gone on to make waves internationally, with 2017 alum Humm – a neurotechnology start-up – having relocated to San Franciso after securing Silicon Valley-based funding. Other success stories have seen QuizJam sign a partnership with Canadian tech company Bravio.
 
When asked how hard it would have been to start Humm without Plus Eight, CEO & Co-founder Iain McIntyre said, "Somewhere between impossible and improbable." 
The 2018 Plus Eight Cohort
Udrew, a platform for managing custom building projects to receive instant council approval.
Kin Childcare, an app facilitating the hiring of reliable, trustworthy and available carers‚ even at the last minute, from scheduling to payment. ‍
Mureus, a modular art startup that creates customisable magnetic modular art for large spaces. ‍
Airguides (formally Hopolla), a platform connecting travellers with influencers, to help guide their holidays and connect them to people in the same destination. ‍
SpacetoCo, an online marketplace for individuals to easily list their space for the general community and handle locational searches, availability, two-way reviews and payments.
‍Kooda, is a crowdsourced organic-waste collection service using technology to make it clean, easy and efficient for every kitchen to divert food-scraps from landfill or burning. ‍
Lily and Fox, who have developed an alternative to nail polish that takes advantage of materials and chemical technologies and creates no drying time, no mess and can support very complex coatings