Brisbane biotech Microba were chosen to participate in international pitching competition, the Falling Walls Venture in Berlin, based on their world-leading work in analysing gut bacteria.
Microba CEO, Blake Wills, represented one of 20 pioneering young companies chosen to attend the global pitch competition (SAT 9 NOV BRIS TIME), with an audience of over 750 industry leaders, decision makers and media representatives.
Falling Walls Venture is held each year in Berlin, with universities and research institutions from across the world called upon to nominate their most innovative science startups who present their business models in five minutes.
Mr Wills presented the company’s innovative Metagenomic Analysis Platform (MAP™), which powers the gut microbiome analysis capabilities of Microba, to the audience. The gut microbiome (community of microorganisms living in the gut) has been linked to numerous disease conditions and is thought by many to be a new frontier in medicine.
Microba’s MAP™ recently won the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Award for Product Innovation, for its ability to produce high-resolution gut microbiome profiles to consumers, health care practitioners and researchers.
Mr Wills said it was a privilege to compete against international innovators and have Microba recognised as a world-leader.
“To be able to showcase Microba’s capabilities as an innovative hub to international leaders and subject-matter experts is an excellent outcome,” he said.
“Our technology is world-leading, innovative and growing its reach rapidly, allowing us to expand into international markets.
“To fly halfway across the world and present our work at a globally-renowned conference is a great indicator that we are on the right track and can continue to grow in our research and impact on the global health care industry.”
Microba is a home-grown Brisbane-based startup, with its roots coming from research of Co-founders Professors Phillip Hugenholtz and Gene Tyson at The University of Queensland.
The company recently announced expansion into the United States with its MAP™ platform through a partnership with DNA sequencing company, Macrogen.
