EXTRA >> BLAST Movement Technologies won the Minerals and Energy category at the highly regarded Australian National Export Awards presented in Sydney in December – capping of an extraordinary year of acclaim for the company.

The Brisbane-based company was also recently announced as the Queensland Exporter of the Year at the Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards, topping off an amazing 2014 where the company enjoyed phenomenal export growth. 

Blast Movement Technologies’ (BMT) core business is a patented technology to measure the movement of rock during blasting.  The technology provides accurate, easy to use three-dimensional blast movement data for mining companies.

The patented system reduces ore loss and dilution and improves mine reconciliation, meaning that mining companies potentially gain millions of dollars worth of extra mineral from their mine sites.

BMT was cited by the judges for its innovation in the marketing strategy, ability to sustain its export growth, its clear competitive advantage and its commitment to expansion and international business.

“Blast Movement Monitoring (BMM) System is a world-first hardware and software solution for routinely measuring rock movement during open-pit mine blasting,” co-owner and creator of the BMM System, Darren Thornton said.

 “Many people not involved in mining don’t realise that most of the rock that comes out of a mine has no commercial value. Open pit mines are only economic if they can separate these ore and waste zones and send the respective materials to their correct destinations.

“Getting it wrong will accidentally throw away tens of millions of dollars profit per year per mine.”

Mr Thornton believes that much of the company’s success is due to the fact that the company’s technology can be easily supported and maintained, irrespective of where clients are.

“Our subscription model means that the system has no geographic boundaries. Our flexible and mobile team can provide services to mines across the globe, exporting to 26 countries so far, with more to come,” he said.

Export growth for the Brisbane based firm has been phenomenal with 74 percent of the company’ s revenue derived from exports, supporting the company’s rapid growth.

“Our market is the global mining industry, therefore exporting has been a big part of our business since inception,” Mr Thornton said.

“Not only have we created the technology, we have sparked an emerging discipline within the global mining community. This puts us at the forefront of the blast movement specialty.”

This year BMT plans to add an office in the US to service North and Central America. In preparation for the move a USA-based consultant has been engaged since January 2013.

“We have revised the entire corporate structure so that future regional business entities can be replicated efficiently as BMT’s presence expands internationally,” Mr Thornton said.

“We are upgrading our Enterprise CRM to ensure that all staff across any region will always have access to critical information and take the best course of action to serve BMT and its customers. Workflows will ensure consistency across all levels of BMT.”

www.bmt.com.au

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EXTRA >> ADVANCE, the global network for Australia’s high achievers and business alumni, has been joined by global professional services firm KPMG in a program to fast-track innovative early-stage companies.

Named elevate⁶¹– in reference to Australia’s IDD code – the program designed “to help fast track Australian entrepreneurs and enable growth and productivity for globally competitive industries” has been introduced to entrepreneurs, government and business support organisation through a series of presentations around the country, completed at KPMG’s Brisbane office on February 19.

KPMG’s Queensland chairman Robert Jones said the vision for elevate⁶¹ was to help shape and empower Australia’s entrepreneurial eco-system, leading to high value job creation and corporate and social growth for Australia. 

“In a high stakes global economy, Australia needs new sources of growth,” Mr Jones said. “To improve corporate efficiency and advance technology-driven entrepreneurship, innovation and someone to take a risk is required.

“Sometimes the effort will not pay off, but just occasionally it will and when it does, we find a better process, a more efficient organisational design or an idea that radically transforms how we do things.”

Showing their support for the program at the Queensland launch, and outlining key areas in which Australia can step up to help drive its entrepreneurs to success globally, were Southern Cross Venture Partners managing partner Bob Christiansen, iLab CEO Bernie Woodcraft, RedEye Apps CEO and founder Wayne Gerard, and Innovation Clearinghouse founder Sandy Plunkett.

According to Advance global CEO Serafina Maiorano, target industries for the program are agriculture, energy, natural resources, financial services, healthcare, infrastructure, telecommunications, media and technology.

Ms Maiorano said for the first time the complementary international business and advisory networks, technical expertise and global experience of the two organisations will be integrated and made accessible to the ‘best of the best’ Australian entrepreneurs, through elevate⁶¹.

She said elevate⁶¹ was the third business innovation initiative from Advance, and part of its highly successful Advance Innovation Program launched in 2012. The program has been

More than 100 entrepreneurs and 55 start-ups are already benefiting from these programs, Ms Maiorano. So far, about 30 percent of participating start-ups secured investment in Australia following the program; 60 percent reported an increase in Australian investor interest following the program; 25 percent secured strategic partnerships in the US due to the program; and 65 mentors have contributed 400 hours of mentorship.

www.elevate61.com.au

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EXTRA >> AUSTRALIAN  technology start-ups are hoping a new alliance between professional services group KPMG Australian and alternative investments manager Artesian Venture Partners will accelerate their chances of success.

The alliance is being promoted as providing up to 1000 Australian high growth start-ups with a new structure of support and capital, to expedite their business’ success over the next five years. Also involved with Artesian and KPMG Australia are a group of Australian universities, incubators, accelerators, technology start-ups and sophisticated investors in a combination Australia has not seen before. 

“To date the Australian technology sector has been finding its feet and growing rapidly,” Artesian Venture Partners chief operating officer Tim Heasley said.

“Where we are today is a testament to local entrepreneurs and their ability and determination to punch above their weight. But, it’s time for the start-up industry to mature, to operate with a new level of professionalism without losing its edge.

“We need to mobilise, professionalise, and build a cohesive structure around the industry to take it to the next level.

“The alliance with KPMG will allow the engagement of corporates in the start-up ecosystem as customers, partners or potential acquirers and will help start-ups and technology become a substantial industry, as we move away from a reliance on mining and resources.”
The partnership between KPMG and Artesian is designed to offer Australian corporates, superannuation funds, and industry bodies a unique opportunity to be exposed to, and engaged with the Australian start-up ecosystem and innovation. It will also enhance KPMG’s own innovation, integration and advisory services; increase mergers and acquisition activity with Australian entrepreneurs; and engage with a large pipeline of scalable, high growth businesses, as well as leading accelerators, incubators and universities.

The plan is to offer bespoke services to the start-ups with KPMG as the exclusive professional services provider to Artesian and to also host regular events to foster and promote the Australian start-up sector.

The collaboration will also analyse data and develop research models to better understand the growing sector and its future direction, while taking advantage of existing networks to put Australian entrepreneurs on the map globally.

Mr Heasley said Artesian has a unique co-investment model allowing it to quickly scale up its investment portfolio by outsourcing the selection, mentoring and due diligence of start-ups to specialist partners – accelerators, incubators, university programs, angel groups, research institutes and even digital agencies.

Artesian currently manages co-investment funds for Sydney Angels, BlueChilli, ilab (University of Queensland), iAccelerate (University of Wollongong) and Slingshot (Newcastle).
“And now our alliance with KPMG, who was selected as a result of a competitive process, will help us to identify and introduce corporate and other partners to these opportunities,” Mr Heasley said.

Head of innovation for KPMG Australia, Martin Sheppard, said the alliance represented an important milestone for doing business with the rapidly rising entrepreneur set – which, has the potential to contribute upwards of $100 billion to the Australian economy within two decades. 

“Proactively engaging with Australia’s start-up ecosystem is critical to our innovation strategy,” Mr Sheppard said/ “It will expose us and our clients to new growth opportunities; provide early insights into emerging and disruptive technologies, and help us and our clients stay ahead of the curve.

“Combined with our Fintech work and other initiatives to be announced over coming months, it will position KPMG as an authority in this dynamic sector,” he said.
The partners will jointly commercialise the accumulated data of the venture, expected to encompass up to 1000 investee companies over the next five years.
“Although there is a lot of buzz around start-ups, including strong corporate interest, little actual research has been done on the sector,” Mr Sheppard said.

“Our data has the potential to play an important role in unlocking entrepreneurial potential in Australia. This alliance is an incredibly exciting opportunity.”

www.kpmg.com.au

www.artesianinvest.com

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THREE MONTHS after launching its online supermarket shopping and delivery service in Germany, on Australia Day ShopWings launched its Sydney operations.

ShopWings uses an online ordering system then delivers everyday products from local grocery stores to the customer’s doorstep within two hours. Users select a favourite supermarket – including Aldi, Coles and Harris Farm – nominate groceries on the ShopWings website, the goods are gathered by ShopWings’ personal shoppers, and the items arrive two hours after the order is placed. Customers can also nominate a later one-hour delivery window for convenience. 

“We believe a lot of people are busy and seek modern solutions that save them time,” ShopWings Australia co-founder and managing director, Manutea Dupont said.

“ShopWings was founded to replace the hassle of traditional shopping with an innovative alternative, so our customers can get what they need from their favourite stores, when they need it without having to go to the supermarket themselves.

“Australians spend 2.5 hours per week on grocery shopping, that’s almost an entire week spent every year in a shop. Think about all the great things they could do with this time.

“It therefore seems obvious to us that with the right service online shopping will expand a lot in the next few years.”

The innovation of ShopWings is bringing the human element in to online shopping.

Mr Dupont said ShopWings addressed an emerging need and was establishing a new culture of online grocery shopping.

“We are convinced that customers want the internet to be more personal,” Mr Dupont said.

He said a report from IBISWorld showed the online grocery sales industry had not yet reached the scale of the online retailing sector over the past few years – but it was one of the online sectors expected to grow the fastest. The industry revenues are expected to grow by more than 15 percent a year per annum in the coming years as the use of virtual grocery stores becomes more common.

He said overcoming the lack of the emotional component in online shopping would have a strong positive  impact on customer attraction and retention. ShopWings’ personal shoppers fill this void and create the human link.

“We are very proud that Australia is the first country ShopWings is expanding into,” Mr Dupont said.

“Australia is a modern and innovation-hungry country. Sydney in particular is a fast-paced city full of busy people, who are all looking for innovative ways to make their lives easier.

“We’re not the first in the online grocery delivery space but we are the first ones to do it well: you can now shop online from your favourite supermarkets that didn’t have the same-day delivery option before and you don’t need to wait at home all day with our one hour delivery windows.

“Our team doesn’t only deliver everyday goods, it provides our customers with more time for other important things in their lives.”

The technological system behind ShopWings is innovative. A customer completes a virtual shopping cart and places an order, choosing the delivery time. Based on the customer’s chosen delivery time slot and address, an algorithm determines the most suitable personal shopper to carry out the order.

The first delivery is free and costs $8.90 afterwards. Customers pay online via commonly accepted payment methods.

ShopWings was launched by five founders in Munich, Germany, in October last year and is led in Australia by Manutea Dupont and Guillaume Ang. Within a month, ShopWings expanded to Berlin and is set to expand to other cities and countries.

ShopWings is part of the Rocket Internet platform, which is aiming to be the world’s largest Internet platform outside the US and China and has assisted dozens of online concepts through to business success.

Rocket Internet is best known in Europe for its successful online brands including HelloFresh, Home 24, Jumia and Westwing Home and Living. It has worked with The Iconic, Groupon International and eDarling to build successful international internet companies.

www.shopwings.com.au

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