WYNnovation, Wyndham City’s The Pitch Competition grand finale was held yesterday at Wyn Tech School in Hoppers Crossing.
The Pitch competition has been running for five years, and this year it has attracted a record 34 applications, and continues to garner dialogue and profile across Melbourne’s startup and entrepreneurial community.
It featured five entrepreneurs bringing their astute minds to showcase their visionary ideas and pitching their solution to the Open Challenge – ‘How might business utilise technology to create a smarter, more sustainable and liveable Wyndham?
Wyndham City Mayor, Cr Mia Shaw, said: “The winners of the 2025 WYNnovation Pitch Competition brought real solutions that can make a remarkable difference - from AI to clean energy to accessible wellbeing.”
“The three winners shared a prize pool of more than $32,450 including cash prizes, free membership at Wyndham’s SPARK Business & Innovation Hub and Dell Technologies products.”
The Judging panel consisted of three respected local business leaders: Dr Nilusha Gallage, a lecturer in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Undergraduate Coordinator for Business Courses at Victoria University Business School, Suji Sanjeevan, a former doctor, founded Wyndham-based LIGHT + GLO and now leads BrandScent, and Dr Arvind Sharma the Executive Director, Trades & Technology - College of Trades, Technology and Hospitality at Victoria University.
The First Prize was awarded to AI Mily (Mily Lee), who designed an AI-powered, real-time medical interpreter, designed by clinicians to bridge language barriers in Aged Care.
The Runner-Up prize was awarded to RegenX (Ishan Dan), who began her nursing career in Wyndham and has designed the first-local investment platform giving Wyndham residents and businesses a stake in the clean energy shift. Its Smart Solar Park pilot supports Council goals to reach carbon neutrality by 2040.
The People’s Choice was awarded to Tala Thrive (Sonia Kaurah), for an app-based platform offering culturally competent mental wellbeing through peer groups, therapy/coaching calls, and self-guided programs.
The other two finalists: Ag Robot (Jawwad Khan) presented accessible robotics to improve agricultural productivity and Bunji Ride (Senthill Sundaram) presented Inclusive, accessible transport for people of all abilities.
WYNnovation’s Pitch Competition is proudly presented by Wyndham City and sponsored by Victoria University and Dell Technologies.
WYNnovation’s Pitch Competition kickstarts WYNnovation Festival 2025.
For more information on WYNnovation 2025 visit: www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/services/business-investment/business-awards-special-events/wynnovation-festival