“The Big Idea acted as a space for discussion and networking.”
— George Sidis
The Big Idea
The Big Idea is a mentoring and commercialisation program hosted by the Sydney Local Health District. Participants were encouraged to apply for the chance to pitch their early stage start-up ideas in the bid to win support and funding to aid in their journey to commercialisation.
2019 saw some incredibly innovative ideas, the winner being Professor Steve Chadban, CEO of the Deluxe Medical Chair: a chair for dialysis patients that aims to improve their experience from both a comfort and functionality perspective. The Deluxe Medical Chair won $25,000 worth of Ide services as well as $40,000 allocated to developing their project.
The winner of the People’s choice award, BLINC, is an implantable device that is set to “recreate physiological blink using a wirelessly-powered, biocompatible actuator”. BLINC as the People’s Choice Award winner received $5,000 pre seed funding and $5,000 worth of IDE design, development and commercialisation services. IDE are thrilled to have this opportunity to support both companies in not only creating revolutionary products but to see the impact they will have on Australia’s healthcare system once on the market.
In addition to pitches and prize giving, The Big Idea acted as a space for discussion and networking. IDE’s Managing Director George Sidis and Sarah McDonald from medical device company Baymatob took the stage to discuss what it takes to become a successful MedTech start-up. George and Sarah explained the importance of collaboration, risk taking and perseverance throughout the journey to commercialisation.
