The nation’s most important business technology trade fair CeBIT Australia makes a welcome return to Sydney’s CBD this morning after a three year oxygen-starved stint at the Olympic Park facilities in Homebush.
The opening of the flash new International Convention Centre at Darling Harbour could not come soon enough, both for CeBIT Australia’s German organisers Deutsche Messe and for the NSW Government, which has invested heavily in recent years painting the city in the colours of tech and innovation.
In fact, the NSW Government will celebrate the return to Darling Harbour with a major technology announcement. Finance Minister Victor Dominello will unveil the NSW Digital Government Strategy at a breakfast event at CeBIT Australia this morning.
Mr Dominello has been the primary architect of NSW Government’s sharp improvements in digital service delivery in the past several years as the Minister for Innovation and has kept a hands-on role in the strategic design of government services through his promotion to Finance minister.
CeBIT Australia will host more than 350 exhibitors from 34 countries – including 100 startups – as well as nine separate technology-focused conferences, making it the biggest festival of tech in the country.
And in case anyone is paying attention to the eastern seaboard’s intense State-vs-State competition in the tech sector, Sydney’s CeBIT Australia will host a pavilion of companies from China’s Jiangsu province – which has a sister-state relationship with Victoria – thus giving NSW this week’s bragging rights.
Meanwhile, the NSW Government announced overnight that it is again partnering with Austrade to again send up to 10 FinTech and cybersecurity startups to the Australian Government’s Tel Aviv landing pad to be put through a superfast international acceleration.
Recently appointed NSW Innovation Minister Matt Kean and federal Trade Minister Steven Ciobo announced last night that applications are now open to startups seeking to test their ideas and business models outside of Australia.
The Tel Aviv mission is the second NSW has conducted with Austrade after taking 10 startups to the Landing Pad last September.
The program includes participation in the biggest international innovation industry event of the year in Israel, DLD Tel Aviv, as well as a full program of engagement across the Israeli eco-system with special support finding commercialisation partners through a new NSW/Israel innovation agreement.
“Tel Aviv’s ecosystem of world-leading entrepreneurs offers innovative NSW startups opportunities to collaborate, grow and commercialise exciting new technology,” Mr Ciobo said. “Israel has world-class R&D institutions, and a sophisticated network of global investors, so Tel Aviv is the perfect place for NSW startups to land before launching to the world.
“We are looking for entrepreneurs who are ready to disrupt their marketplaces and have a vision for growth.”
Mr Kean said the program was a one in a lifetime opportunity for NSW startups to take their business models to Tel Aviv, test their ideas and to network with fellow entrepreneurs and investors.
“Tel Aviv is where the action is, so the knowledge successful startups bring home to NSW will be invaluable to their businesses and the local ecosystem.”
The startup mission will head to Israel in September during the renowned DLD Tel Aviv Innovation Festival.
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