The Business Technology Center of Los Angeles County hosted the New South Wales Innovation Fast Pitch as part of Los Angeles Technology Week. Seven promising “green” technologies from New South Wales (NSW) took the stage to compete for a Going Global sponsorship from the NSW government, worth $10,000, as well as consulting support from the Business Technology Center (BTC).  The prize includes ten hours of coaching and mentoring from the BTC’s executive and mentoring team.

The grand prize winner was Bio-Gill Environmental, a wastewater treatment system that effectively uses micro-organisms in a nano-particulate membrane bioreactor.  John Glanville, speaking on behalf of the expert panel of judges, noted that Bio-Gill’s model has “strong economic viability.”  The second prize winner was Building IQ, an innovative energy management company praised for its knowledge in the energy field.

Kylie Hargreaves, Executive Director, International Markets and Trade, represented the New South Wales government. According to Ms. Hargreaves, “New South Wales sees the United States, and Los Angeles in particular, as a key business partner.  There is, of course, the natural appeal of the market, its size, wealth, sophistication and diversity.  It offers relative proximity to Sydney—only 14 hours away.  There’s good intellectual property protection, our common English language, and a large range of channels to market. Most importantly, we value good working relationships.  In our experience, a United States partner provides enormous business acumen—honed in the world’s largest, most sophisticated and fast-paced market.”

According to Sean Rogan, Executive Director of the Community Development Commission of Los Angeles County, “Los Angeles is a great place to grow a technology company.  We have top research universities, and a strong local infrastructure to support an entrepreneurial ecosystem.  There is a good reason why the government of New South Wales chose Los Angeles and the BTC to host this competition.”  The BTC is a project of the Community Development Commission and is charged with the mission to assist early stage technology companies grow and thrive.

The New South Wales government, based in Sydney, Australia has an economy valued at $400 billion and is the largest and most diverse economy in Australia.

For more information on the Business Technology Center, please call (626) 296-6300.