Congratulations to agricultural science students Tom Gameau, Hector Mackenzie and Liam Vanschaik, who have won the top prize in the University of Adelaide’s Australian eChallenge.

A smartphone app that allows farmers to better select livestock at auctions has won the top prize in the University of Adelaide’s Australian eChallenge.

The ingenious idea allows farmers to filter through large numbers of animals available at auction using multiple prioritised breeding preferences and identify which animals are best suited to their enterprise. It will give them access to an Australia-wide genetic pool of livestock.

The team which devised the idea called Trait Select are third year agricultural science students Tom Gameau, Hector Mackenzie and Liam Vanschaik, who hail from farms across South Australia.

The annual Australian eChallenge is run by the University’s Business School.

“This year’s eChallenge teams have developed an exciting and surprising breadth of innovations,” said the University of Adelaide’s Professor Noel Lindsay, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Entrepreneurship), and Dean of Business, Adelaide Business School.

“Each team has carefully considered some of the problems we all face, individually and as a society, and successfully developed interesting and novel solutions that have real potential for commercial success.

Trait Select team members, Hector Mackenzie (left) and Tom Gameau (right), overall winners of the 2022 eChallenge receiving their prize at the awards night.

“The aim of the Australian eChallenge is to help students build entrepreneurial capability, develop new ways of thinking about problems and solutions, and increase their capacity to think creatively and act decisively.

“In whichever direction these students head next, we know that we have helped prepare them to be agile and resourceful, adaptable and resilient, and to harness failures and build on them for success.”

As overall winners of the eChallenge the talented trio take home $10,000 in cash, $1000 worth of consultancy services from Madderns Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, and a package worth $4000 which includes permanent residency for 12 months and Accelerator business workshops at the University’s ThincLab business incubator.

Teams competing in the eChallenge pitch business proposals for their new, previously unfunded business concepts, to potential investors from the local business community. They compete for a share of the total prize pool of more than $62,200 in cash and prizes, and the prestige of being awarded the most outstanding Australian eChallenge entrepreneurial venture of the year.

Other entrepreneurial ideas from the teams of undergraduate and postgraduate students focussed on solutions to solve ambulance ramping, assist with rehab after serious injuries, help people manage money better and help domestic violence victims contact the support agencies discreetly.

About the eChallenge:

The Australian eChallenge is an annual competition-based learning experience that develops strategic business thinking for early-stage entrepreneurial ventures. Run since 2001 by the University of Adelaide’s Adelaide Business School, the pre-accelerator program is a proving ground for future entrepreneurs. It is Australia’s longest running program of its kind.

The Australian eChallenge awards are made possible through support from partners in business and industry especially Madderns, William Buck, Bold Web Design, Enabled., MKF Lawyers and Precise Electrical and Plumbing.

Read the full media release in the Adelaide Newsroom, posted on the 2/12/2022.. 

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