Smart Companies raring to go
The Queensland Government-owned i.lab Incubator has helped put four more Queensland companies on the road to success with Charm Health Pty Ltd, RedFlow Pty Ltd, Worksafe Management Systems Pty Ltd (WMS) and XeroCoat Pty Ltd all recently graduating.
i.lab CEO Anne-Marie Birkill said the four technology start-up companies were great examples of the Smart State in action.
“These companies are quite diverse but they have all developed great products and have already achieved a great deal of success in an extremely competitive market,” she said.
Award winning Charm Health is Australia’s leading developer of oncology information management software. Charm Health’s products streamline the complex processes and protocols involved in managing the treatment of cancer patients.
Worksafe Management Systems (WMS) has developed a fully web-based software application specifically designed to manage Occupational Health and Safety and Public Liability, allowing geographically diverse companies to manage adverse events across all sites.
Worksafe Management Systems CEO Jordan Pastourel said i.lab support had been an invaluable asset.
“The i.lab staff have always provided sound advice regarding company growth strategies and have ensured we kept WMS focused and grounded. Without i.lab, WMS would not be graduating now in such a stable position,” Mr Pastourel said.
RedFlow has developed a breakthrough product for the electricity supply industry – a kilowatt scale, customer side of the meter electricity storage device that, kilo for kilo, has six times the daily cycling capacity of lead-acid batteries, but with no environmentally damaging components. RedFlow Founder and CEO Chris Winter said i.lab has been a major contributer to RedFlow’s success to date.
“Apart from the ongoing regular support and contact which is valuable in itself, at several critical points along our commercialisation journey the team from i.lab, and our i.lab mentors, have provided something – market guidance, an industry contact, help with pitching, even the occasional stern reality check – that has really got us back on track,” Mr Winter said.
XeroCoat is an advanced materials company commercialising a new nanotechnology based on porous silica for use in a variety of applications including anti-reflection coatings for solar energy conversion. Having just opened its new headquarters and product development site in Silicon Valley, California while retaining a technology development group in Brisbane, it is clearly destined for even more success.
Co-founder of XeroCoat, Associate Professor Paul Meredith, said i.lab had been crucial to the company’s growth in the key start-up phase, providing not only laboratory and office space but also business support services and advice.
Ms Birkill said that in addition to helping dozens of businesses to succeed, since 2004 i.lab has also assisted its clients to raise more than $65 million and created more than 360 knowledge-based jobs.
www.ilab.com.au (non-government site)
Last reviewed 17 July 2008
