 4th ANZA Technology Network Showcase Conference
Media
26 Locals Pin Their Hopes on U.S. Debut
Brad Howarth
22 November 2005
The Australian
Trade shows
SILICON Valley has woken from its slumber following the tech-wreck, and entrepreneurial Australian technology companies are lining up for a piece of the action.
At this year's annual ANZA Technology Network showcase and conference, held in Palo Alto last week, 26 early stage Australian and New Zealand companies presented a range of technologies to potential investors and business partners.
Attendance was down by 10 presenters over the 2004 event, but ANZA Tech chief executive David Cannington attributed that is to more rigorous screening for appropriate companies.
"What we have now is 26 companies totally committed to the US, and they are better quality, so overall they have a better chance of success," Mr Cannington said. "
About 95 per cent of the companies are solid performers in Australia, with customers and revenues, positive cash flow, and in some cases deals in other parts of the world."
According to David Scull, a 20-year Silicon Valley veteran who is the US partner for the venture capitalist Allen and Buckeridge, presenters this year were more mature, with more realistic views of the opportunities and challenges they faced.
"The quality of the companies was high, and the qualities of the presentation were high," Mr Scull said.
Microsoft sponsored the event for the second time, and helped several of its independent software vendor partners to attend.
Microsoft industry development manager for vendors David Sajfar said his company was keen to help them achieve overseas sales growth. "As a multinational, we feel we can play a greater role to help local organisations succeed," Mr Sajfar said. "That should be the role of every multinational in Australia, because the environment is so difficult."
Microsoft had eleven partners from its Victorian and Queensland .NET industry development clusters present, with another four attending as observers.
"We view ANZA as a trusted network, and because of its geographical position in the Valley it is a logical partner," Mr Sajfar said.
Two ANZA presenters, VibraQ and Digislide, were selected to present at the prestigious Demo conference in February in Phoenix, Arizona.
Perth-based VibraQ has developed a therapeutic device for the treatment of lymphoedema, a form of swelling that occurs after certain cancer treatments.
VibraQ's technology can produce the same benefits after seven minutes of treatment that is usually achieved through two weeks of intensive massaging and bandaging.
VibraQ will be joined at Demo by Adelaide projection technology company Digislide, which has developed a miniature projector suitable for incorporation into a mobile phone, that can project a 9 by 11in image to a surface.
Digislide chief executive Luceille Outhred said she attended ANZA to learn more about the US market, as part of a strategy of raising money to develop the technology to a beta version.
"The work that David Cannington is doing is critical, and is very effective," Ms Outhred said. "The ANZA forums have been excellent -- they either challenge your preconceptions or confirm them."
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