Blamey Saunders hears was the big winner of the 2018 National iAwards in Melbourne, where their innovation, Facett: A Modular Self-fit Hearing Aid System, won Victoria State Government Inspiration of the Year, Research and Development Project of the Year and the Community Services Market iAward. It was also awarded a Merit for Infrastructure and Platforms Innovation of the Year and won PitchFest in the Community Services Market category. We recently had the privilege of talking to them about their iAwards experience and what’s next on their innovation journey.
What made you enter the iAwards?
The iAwards provided an opportunity for us to reflect on and interrogate what we have achieved. The discipline of actually putting together the entry, presenting to the judges and answering their questions was a challenging and fun team activity.
Why would you recommend entering the iAwards?
The awards have strict requirements – whether that be in the number of words on an entry, or the time allowed for the presentation – which is superb to hone your message. For any company in a growth phase; capital raise, export market thinking and the opportunity to test our ability to clearly tighten our messaging was excellent.
What did you learn from pitching at the National iAwards?
The pitch itself required structured thinking. We had a tight timeframe to get across our complex Hearing Health Ecosystem message, so we had to focus on what was important. We had to perform three pitches and were privileged to win in three iAwards categories. I think we got better and better at refining our approach.
What advice would you give other innovators considering entering?
Firstly, just do it – what have you got to lose? Once you are at that decision point, challenge yourself on pinpoint clarity. Think about the tightness of an elevator pitch across all elements of your business. Invite a trusted mentor, outsider or past winner to critically evaluate what you have done. Listen and hone.
How does it feel to have won so many awards at the National iAwards?
We feel incredibly proud and very humbled to have done so well in a tough field of competitors. Our team love the accolades and feel that is a real thank you for all the invisible hours and stress that goes into challenging the way a traditional industry operates with an innovative solution.
What’s next for Blamey Saunders Hears and Facett?
We have exciting development plans underway to strengthen our Hearing Health Ecosystem. We are also looking towards a capital raise and have an export market plan coming together.
Do you have a fun fact about your iAwards journey?
I suppose for every minute of our pitches, we invested at least 6 hours into developing and honing our message. We pitched for 33 minutes if you combine the National iAwards and PitchFest. That’s nearly 200 hours. I hadn’t thought about it like that before – but it’s a commitment!
Find out more!
For more information about Blamey Saunders hears and their multiple award-winning solution, visit the websites below: