Tech23: NSW govt to sponsor local startups

The deputy premier of New South Wales, Andrew Stoner, has announced government sponsorship of a local not-for-profit collaborative workspace, while emphasising the importance of the technology and innovation sector as a whole.

Addressing the annual Tech23 technology showcase — now in its third year — in Sydney, Stoner said the state government will sponsor start-up community Fishburners and donate five cash prizes to other local start-ups.

"I'm pleased to announce today that as part of our support for innovation in the start-up space, NSW trade and investment through the ACS program will be sponsoring the Fishburners collaborative space," Stoner said.

"Fishburners is a not-for-profit that houses 60 of our best entrepreneurs and developers who work alongside each other to develop the service models that drive change and productivity in New South Wales."

Stoner said the future of productivity in New South Wales will be driven by technology start-ups, pointing out that innovation is no longer associated with just big businesses.

"In today's world, these enabling technologies are the industry and no longer the preserve of big business ... increasingly, it’s small providers who are accessing technology to rapidly grow their business," he said.

"We're looking increasingly to young, innovative companies to drive change and growth in our economy."

Stoner also said initiatives like Tech23 and CeBIT are important in delivering local technology to the rest of the world.

"The NSW government is looking to companies like these to help delivering quality services and innovative technology solutions to the people of our state," he said.

"Each of these initiatives are about delivering customer focus that drives innovation. We need these entrepreneurs to drive the innovation tomorrow."

The Tech23 finalists will today present on what each of their company hopes to deliver, with the winner of each of the seven categories winning cash prizes.

Stoner announced that the NSW government will pledge $150,000 towards the showcase, claiming Tech23 creates more jobs in IT.

Follow Lisa Banks on Twitter: @CapricaStar

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