WA Government extends support for ASTN to continue to strengthen local sportstech ecosystem
The first X-TEND WA grant was awarded in July 2023 through the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation’s New Industries Fund (NIF). The Fund is designed to build capability and capacity of Western Australia’s innovation community by supporting entrepreneurs and stimulating private investment in innovative projects in WA.
“We are thrilled to continue to work with the WA Government, building upon a successful first year of engagement with the local sports industry. We have uncovered some incredible local talent, and as we forge ahead, we will continue to explore new avenues for advancing the State’s sportstech sector,” said Dr Martin Schlegel, Executive Chair, ASTN.
“This expansion of the relationship is a reflection of the tremendous opportunity that exists in WA and offers a fantastic opportunity to cultivate even greater innovation and connect WA’s sportstech ecosystem to the eastern seaboard and into international markets,” said Craig Hill, WA Program Manager and Sportstech Start-up Advisor & Industry Analyst, ASTN.
Over the past year, ASTN has immersed itself within WA's sports innovation landscape and wider sports community. It has engaged with more than 30 sportstech startups as well as more than 50 key stakeholders across sports federations, professional clubs, sports institutes, venue and stadia and sports education and research. This period of engagement has laid a robust foundation, propelling ASTN towards an exciting expansion of its activities in WA.
Omni Biotech, a WA-based startup that has developed a hydration metric for elite sports and Occupational Health and Safety applications, has participated in two of ASTN’s early-stage startup programs.
“The early-stage programs were a crucial step in Omni’s growth. ASTN’s deep networks across Australia and globally enabled us to access expertise and connections that would not have been possible without their assistance,” said Zac Farrow, Co-Founder, Omni Biotech.
The extended grant supports an additional six WA-based sportstech startups to participate in ASTN’s early-stage Pre-Accelerator Program, as well as six startups in ASTN’s growth-stage Accelerator Program. Two WA startups will also participate in ASTN’s trade missions and international market research programs. Meanwhile, ASTN will further connect and educate the local sportstech sector through networking events and online masterclasses.
As part of the suite of activities, ASTN will also work closely with SportWest, the peak body of WA’s sports industry, to deliver three sessions across emerging sports innovation themes relevant to WA’s sports executives and decision-makers.
“We attended ASTN’s three networking events in Perth and realised the sports innovation knowledge that ASTN and its network of experts can share with the the SportWest Member network,” said Matt Bamford, Member and Partnership Manager at SportWest. “We identified emerging themes like ESG, Open Innovat
ion and Coaching and Pathways technologies, and we know the expertise of ASTN can deliver some valuable insights for executives and managers in the WA sports industry.”Opportunities to participate in the ASTN Accelerator and Pre-Accelerator WA programs will be announced in coming months. For further details visit: www.astn.com.au or https://www.wa.gov.au
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Media Enquiries
For more information, or to arrange an interview with ASTN, please contact Tara Ballard on 0436 330 267 or Tara.ballard@astn.com.au