KPMG, Stone & Chalk back supply chain solutions

KPMG Australia and Stone & Chalk Group have today announced their first Future Technology Program cohort, which backs Australian startups building supply chain solutions.

The successful startup founders and their teams will receive residency for 12 months at one of Stone & Chalk Group’s startup hubs located in Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide.

They will also be provided access to a tailored support program from KPMG And Stone & Chalk covering investor readiness, industry insights, connections to potential clients, and mentoring on how to sell to large, global companies and more.

In Australia, 75 percent of businesses experienced significant supply chain disruptions over the past year, according to internal KPMG research, exposing significant opportunities for innovation to help tackle supply chain challenges.

One of the recipients CEO of Versed AI Fenella Boyce said: “We are honoured to have been selected for the first cohort of this program, set up shop at a Stone & Chalk startup hub and work alongside KPMG, who is a leader in supply chain management consulting.

“We plan on utilising the opportunity to build Versed AI’s cutting-edge tech to better shape the future of supply chain management and procurement in Australia.”

Sarah Vega, National Managing Partner, KPMG Futures said the Future Technology Program helped to uncover new innovative technology for our clients, who are hungry for solutions but often struggle to engage with startups in a positive and meaningful way.

Vega said: “KPMG is thrilled to be bringing together this diverse cohort of exceptional entrepreneurs who are building new technology to drive real change for producers, for companies, and, importantly, for the planet.

“These five startups are bringing trust, verification, transparency and efficiency to supply chains in a way that is critical to the future agenda.”

Future Technology Program 2022 recipients are:

• Adiona (Richard Savoie, CEO) — Helping to move people and goods more efficiently in an increasingly urbanised world through the implementation of AI and commercial mathematics in the cloud that can offset the programs urbanisation presents
• Cynch (Susie Jones, CEO) — Helping small businesses prevent cybersecurity incidents by working closely alongside them, continuously profiling their business to develop strong and robust cyber fitness
• Givvable (Frances Atkins, Co-Founder & Director) — Helping businesses meet their sustainability and ESG targets faster through fit-for-purpose insights
• Versed AI (Fenella Boyce, CEO) — Award-winning Natural Language Processing technology to help organisations, of all sizes, identify the true scale of their supply chain
• And Zondii (Danielle Morton, CEO & Founder) — Working to provide a real-time smartphone verification and validation solution for the food and fibre industry.

Chalk Group CEO Michael Bromley said it was hugely encouraging that four out of five of the startups selected are led by female founders.

Picture: Versed AI/Fenella Boyce