Built in Western Sydney: Ignition Cohort 8 Demo Day
Ignition Cohort 8 Demo Day:
Celebrating Bold Ideas and Founder Momentum
On Wednesday 10th December 2025, Launch Pad came together to celebrate the end of another incredible chapter for our founders at Ignition Cohort 8 Demo Day – a high-energy showcase of the bold ventures our startups have built throughout the program.
Demo Day marked both an end-of-program celebration and a milestone moment for founders who have spent the past 15 weeks shaping, testing, and validating their ideas through the Ignition accelerator. With the support of mentors, industry experts, and the wider Launch Pad community, founders stepped onto the stage to pitch not just startups, but visions for change.
A Room Full of Ideas, Energy and Ambition
From immersive storytelling and health innovation to community-building, productivity tools, and creative platforms, the diversity of ideas on display was a powerful reminder of the depth of talent coming out of Western Sydney and beyond!
“Launch Pad’s goal is to empower founders and grow the innovation ecosystem in Western Sydney through programs like Ignition. Every cohort I love seeing the founders give their final pitch – something they’ve been working on for the last 15 weeks!”
Mabel Joe, Senior Coordinator, Communications & Activation
Our Ignition Cohort 8 Demo Day lineup featured:
TurnsDigital – Exploring the future of immersive, emotionally rich storytelling
PsychReady – The flight simulator for therapists
Western Sydney Tech Innovators (WSTI) – A community-led group equipping locals with practical emerging tech skills
My Endo Care – Supporting women with endometriosis on their fertility journey, grounded in research and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Klypt.ai – Turning hours of video admin into minutes
Kitchen by Lorna Lee – Creating learning pathways through cooking
Odd Academia – Open science made social, celebrating bold ideas and the humans behind them
Eatsy – Helping busy individuals build sustainable health journeys
Noblebright Miniatures – Bringing tabletop game worlds to life
Handover EHS – An electronic patient care assistant for first responders
Corral – A social music rating platform and artist career studio, rehumanising music discovery and empowering indie artists
After an exciting evening of pitches and audience engagement, Corral was crowned the People’s Choice Award winner, reflecting their strong connection with the audience and a compelling vision for the future of music discovery.
Learning From Those Who’ve Been There Before
A highlight of the evening was hearing from Ignition alumni founder John Wastnage, co-founder of City Quokka, who shared candid insights into his startup journey.
John spoke openly about the realities of building a company – from early pivots to long-term persistence – and how programs like Ignition helped shape his path as a founder.
His reflections reinforced a key message for the cohort: startup success is rarely linear, but progress comes from momentum, learning and community support.
Investing in Western Sydney’s Innovation Ecosystem
Ignition is one of the ways Launch Pad continues to invest in the growth of Western Sydney’s innovation ecosystem — not just through startups, but through people.
Through hands-on programs like Ignition, Launch Pad provides founders with structured support, mentorship, and access to industry networks — while fostering a strong sense of community across its Western Sydney locations. These programs are designed to meet founders where they are, whether they are validating an idea, building an MVP, or taking their first steps toward scale.
“We run Ignition to make sure great ideas in Western Sydney don’t stay ideas
We know there is incredible ambition, talent and lived experience in this region, but founders often need access to the right skills, networks and support at the right time. By investing in founders early, programs like Ignition help build long-term capability for Western Sydney — giving people the confidence to test their ideas, learn quickly, and create ventures that deliver real and lasting impact.”
More broadly, Launch Pad’s work connects students, founders, industry, and community partners, helping turn local ideas into ventures that respond to real world challenges and opportunities in the region.
More Than a Pitch Showcase
Ignition Demo Day wasn’t just about pitching – it was about connection, confidence, and celebrating progress. The room buzzed with conversations between founders, mentors, alumni, industry leaders and supporters, highlighting the strength of the Launch Pad community and the collaborative spirit that underpins the program.
About Ignition
Ignition is a hands-on, 15-week part-time accelerator that supports early-stage founders from idea through to validation and MVP development. The program helps founders build strong foundations for scalable startups, while embedding them in a supportive ecosystem that champions experimentation, resilience and growth.
Thinking about applying for Ignition? Demo Day is the best way to see it in action.
To our Ignition Cohort 8 founders — congratulations on an incredible journey so far. We’re excited to see where you take your ventures next 🚀
if this is something that sounds like you want to join – applications are open all year round! Find out more