Venture Makers Innovation Challenge 10 – Everyday Product Reinvention Challenge

Launch Pad is hosting the tenth Venture Makers Innovation Challenge on 21 April 2026
in partnership with industry partners Stakk Studio and Factory of the Future for Western students.

Venture Makers is Launch Pad’s entrepreneurship training and development program for students designed to build and support an entrepreneurial culture and ecosystem.

The Venture Makers Innovation Challenge put participants in the driver’s seat to solve an emerging problem and develop and communicate innovative ideas. The skills learnt from this challenge would be valuable whether they become an employee for any organisation or choose to become an innovator, inventor or entrepreneur.

In this ONE DAY challenge, teams worked with participants from various disciplines (from Business, Communications, ICT, to Health, Psychology and others), to explore the future of products.

This event is available for Western Sydney University students ONLY.

The Challenge Theme

The most valuable companies in the world no longer sell products.
They build platforms.
But what if physical products could also become platforms?

Imagine:
A shoe that connects to a health ecosystem.
A transport ticket that unlocks a mobility platform.
A car that becomes part of a distributed energy grid.

Participants will work with mentors from startups, industry, and the innovation ecosystem to explore advanced technologies, creative service models, and fresh approaches — all while working in a real-world environment.

Participants will come as individuals to meet and join forces with other participants from other disciplines to make an impact! It is a great way to connect.

The Prizes

$8,750

Prize Pool

First prize

$1,000*

Plus the ultimate industry experience

Including exclusive tour, mentorship opportunity, and more!

Runner up

$500*

People's choice

$250*

1st Place

E3 (cubed)

Veron Caldera, Dhimahi Walendra, Jaybie nino Perigo, Aine Rojo, Utshaha Subedi

E3 (cubed) – the creation of an eco-smart system controlled through an AI assistive hardware application.

2nd Place

Senior Service Bot

Adam Pittman, Emily Mahchut, Druxy Hoang, Benjamin Rushworth-Curtin, Sunly Sethea

Senior Service Bot – an advanced patient medical system which utilises AI to determine levels of satisfactory care.

3rd Place

sustAIn

Linh Le, Luke Hindwood, Jade Dsouza, Khanh Tran, Shaheen Khalfan

sustAIn – a NFP that promotes digital literacy amongst the community via AI tools to minimise digital divide.

The Benefits

Skills you will learn throughout the challenge

Soft Skills

1) Entrepreneurial Thinking

2) Problem Hacking

3) Non-verbal Communication skills

4) Radical Open-mindedness

5) Radical Creativity

6) Effective Brainstorming

7) Time Efficiency

8) Radical Empathy

9) Collaboration

Hard Skills

1) Conceptual Design

2) Pitching for Impact

3) Sustainable Development Goals

4) Innovation Hack Canvasing

5) Entrepreneurial Process

6) Sustainable Design

7) Corporate Presentation/Storytelling

Industry Partner

Partnering in this Innovation Challenge is Stakk Studio, a design studio built for brave ideas people don’t know how to make (yet!) They demystify visions and turn them into meaningful products, experiential installations and environments.

Stakk Studio were the brains behind making the immersive ceiling installation at Factory of the Future a reality – even winning a Good Design Award in 2025.

Stakk Studio will provided a range of prizes for challenge winners including a studio visit, insights into their industry, and personalised career mentoring opportunities over lunch!

'Welcome to the Metaverse'

Finalists

The teams worked to conceptualise metaverse solutions in areas such as mental health, diagnostic tools for dementia, therapeutic approaches for treating lower back pain, innovation in retail, marine conservation, immersion, social good, fitness through human-machine integration, and sustainability, with six teams – AquaMeta, Virtualizon, NASA, MemoVerse, The Good Team, and The Three Musketeers – progressing to the final.

Read media release: Venture Makers Innovation Challenge embraces the Metaverse.

Info Session

April

Get all the details you need to stay ahead of the game! Learn about the rules, the theme, and how to maximise your chances of winning.

Missed the info session?

Watch the recording

Challenge Day

April

The Innovation Challenge is a whole-day event.

Time: 8.00 AM – 6.00 PM

Location: Factory of the Future, Bankstown City Campus

REGISTER TODAY! Registrations close Thursday, 16 April 2026, 5 PM or when capacity is reached.

This event is available for Western Sydney University students ONLY.

Program Outline

See past challenge recap

Walking Bus - From Bankstown Station

To help participants get to the challenge, we had organised a walking “bus” on Bankstown City Campus – a group of people forming together to walk safely between the campus and Bankstown train station.

From Bankstown station to Bankstown City Campus: 08.30 AM – 09.00 AM
From Bankstown City Campus to Bankstown station: 05.00 PM – 05.30 PM

Shuttle Bus - From Parramatta City Campus

To help participants get to the challenge venue, we organised a shuttle bus from Parramatta City Campus to Bankstown City Campus.

From Parramatta City Campus to Bankstown City Campus: 07.30 AM
From Bankstown City Campus to Parramatta City Campus: 06.00 PM