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Seven startups chosen for SA-first wine tourism tech accelerator

The first seven wine and tourism tech start-ups have been announced as part of an accelerator program aimed at making South Australia the global hub for grape and wine tech businesses.

Oct 21, 2019, updated Oct 21, 2019

Funded by the South Australian Government, ‘FOMENT – SA’s Wine and Tourism Tech Revolution’ will be run out of the Tonsley Innovation Hub, and is a collaboration between Hydra Consulting, Flinders University’s New Venture Institute and Wine Industry Suppliers Australia (WISA).

The seven successful businesses from across Australia were announced last week at the Wine Industry IMPACT Awards in Adelaide.

They are:

ZionTech: This ‘Grape to Glass’ platform uses blockchain to track the history of the grape through to its transformation into a bottle of wine.

ROVER Journey: A Chinese micro-influencer marketplace, helping Australian businesses reach Chinese consumers by engaging local brand advocates.

Twenty Five Doors: This team partners with cellar doors for better wine tourism experiences using a digital map and marketplace to help them connect with qualified consumers.

Dionysus: A journaling app that helps wine festival-goers purchase the bottles they tried, and loved, once they’re home.

Taglog: An integrated platform with field devices for data logging, capturing the work process as it occurs, including a time and GPS stamp.

Consilium/GAIA: A cloud-based, automated solution for vineyard identification and mapping at any scale.

Cellr: Cellr is a connected packaging solution for anti-counterfeit and direct-to-consumer marketing in the wine, spirits and beverage industries.

The businesses will launch into six intensive bootcamp sessions over three weeks at the Tonsley Innovation Hub next month with mentoring support, culminating in a project pitch to the Foment Advisory Board.

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South Australian Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Tim Whetstone said to the program aimed at accelerating innovation and encourage new ideas within the wine sector.

“This is about giving wine businesses an opportunity to think outside the square and test ideas in a fast-paced intensive environment, with expert support and mentoring,” he said.

“South Australia is globally recognised as a leader in the wine industry producing 80 per cent of Australia’s premium wine and this program works in well with the State Government’s AgTech growth agenda.”

Flinders New Venture Institute Director Aron Hausler said FOMENT fused innovation and digital technologies.

“This will open new opportunities, help companies to scale up and expand the sector’s valuable contributions to our state,” he said.

“The current value of South Australia’s wine exports is on a par with higher education at $1.8 billion, while tourism is worth $7.6 billion – record performance, but sustained growth cannot be left to chance. We need to pay constant attention to creating capacity to ensure these vital industry sectors continue to thrive.

“That’s why we’re partnering with industry to ensure FOMENT is tailored to develop the specific entrepreneurial skills to deliver new products in new ways, and ensure wine and tourism remain iconic sectors.”

This article was first published by The Lead South Australia.

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