Logistics software and hardware provider Bison is one of three Dunedin start-up businesses to receive an award of $20,000 in the second round of the Gig-Start Fund.
The fund was created to provide a launch pad for new-to-market UFB-led service concepts in GigCity, Dunedin. Chorus and Alcatel-Lucent finance it.
The three winners had to pitch their ideas in a “Dragons Den” type format to the Gig Start Fund judging panel that included Emily Cooper from Silkbody and Nigel Bamford from Escea.
The other winners of the second round of the Gig-Start Fund are Jack Pivac from Blue Twist – cloud-based systems for the medical sector – $20,000 and Derek Morrison from Photo Toolbox Ltd – cloud-based digital asset management system – $20,000.
Bison CEO Greg Fahey says pitching to the judges in person was crucial to conveying the idea and also the drive spurring on the team.
“We’ve got a motivated and multi-disciplined team with a clear sense of this opportunity. It’s great to see that recognised”, says Fahey.
Judge Nigel Bamford says he was impressed with the increasingly high standard of the entrants.
“The quality of applications shows that there are some smart people in Dunedin doing some smart things in the digital space,” he says.
We see this money as giving the winners a foot up to help them take their project further and ultimately we hope some can build a successful Dunedin-based business from it,” says Bamford.
The third round of the Gig-Start Fund will open in early 2016.
