Cameron Singer of Point Pod, an innovative benchtop pop-up power socket product, and Majella Edwards of Sortal, a digital image management startup using AI, have received 2019 Good Design Awards from Good Design Australia.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the two startups had received grants through the Lord Mayor’s Global Entrepreneur Program, designed to help local businesses grow and reach international markets.

“Point Pod and Sortal were both awarded $5000 to help expand into global markets and reach new customers as part of the Lord Mayor’s Global Entrepreneur Program – a key initiative of our Digital Brisbane 2.0 Strategy,” Cr Schrinner said.
 
“There’s no denying that Brisbane has a wealth of talent and entrepreneurial spirit, and I’m thrilled to see two recipients of the city’s grant program recognised on the national and international stage. 

“It is great to see Brisbane startups making their mark as they continue to grow and expand both domestically and abroad.

“It’s important we get behind our startups and celebrate their successes as they grow and further build our reputation as an innovative city with the right climate for building a business.”

Sortal is based at the city’s innovation hub The Capital, located in Queen Street, which provides startups with affordable, supportive co-working office space in the heart of the CBD. 

The prestigious Good Design Award Winner Accolade is Australia’s peak industry design awards, recognising outstanding design and innovation.

Sortal received an accolade in the Digital Design category with the Good Design Awards jury commenting: “Great value proposition from both an individual and business perspective with very neat AI that gets a lot of contextual and visual labels right. Good, solid design all round.”

Point Pod received an accolade in the Product Design category with the jury commenting: “This pop-up pod is an inconspicuous solution with a touch sensitive switch that works seamlessly. The integration of the bench top and the ease of installation are further benefits. Elegant, functional, intuitive, well finished and patented. Well done.”

BACKGROUND

About the Lord Mayor’s Global Entrepreneur Program
The Lord Mayor’s Global Entrepreneur Program is part of the Digital Brisbane 2.0 Strategy, which outlines Brisbane’s commitment to evolving the city’s digital capabilities. Since 2012, more than 75 early-stage and scaling entrepreneurs have received funding through Brisbane City Council to take their start-up to the next level. Applications for the next Lord Mayor’s Global Entrepreneur Grant will open later this year. 

Good Design Awards

The annual Good Design Awards is Australia’s most prestigious international Awards for design and innovation with a proud history dating back to 1958. The Awards celebrate the best new products and services on the Australian market, excellence in architectural design, engineering, fashion, digital and communication design and reward emerging areas of design strategy, social impact and design entrepreneurship. The 2019 winners were announced at The Star on 11 July.