Taronga Conservation Society Australia is proud to announce the judging panel for the inaugural HATCH: Taronga Accelerator Program pitch event. Drawing from experts across business and sustainability, the judging panel will consist of author and filmmaker Damon Gameau, THINKERBELL Founder and creative marketing expert Adam Ferrier, My Green World CEO and Management Consultant Natalie Kyriacou, Climate Change Entrepreneur Sophia Hamblin Wang and Taronga CEO Cameron Kerr.

Taking place next Tuesday 10 November, the HATCH Pitch Event will see the program’s five finalists pitch their initiatives to a virtual audience, before the judging panel will announce one finalist to be awarded up to $50,000 to bring their sustainable initiative to life. 

The HATCH: Taronga Accelerator Program is a new program that drives innovative solutions to conservation and environmental challenges. Over the past three months, five teams have refined their exciting initiatives to enable greater sustainability in our everyday lives under the guidance of business, conservation and industry experts. 

HATCH Program Coordinator Danielle Fryday said: “Over the past three months the five HATCH finalists have inspired us with their passion, commitment and perseverance to drive their initiatives forward amidst all the challenges 2020 has presented.

“As our inaugural program draws to an exciting conclusion, we are so honoured to have such a well-regarded team of experts on board to make up our panel of judges. I can only imagine they have a tough task ahead of them to select just one winner,” said Fryday. 

This pitch event is also a chance for the public to learn about the five exciting initiatives and hear from their founders. The HATCH finalists were selected from more than 30 applications and include:
•    Good-Edi – An edible and truly biodegradable coffee cup – a coffee experience that’s good for you and the planet
•    PoopLoop – A community-based composting system turning dog poo from a waste product into a valuable local resource
•    RePlated – A truly circular reusable takeaway container system made from recycled PET, committed to making single use history
•    TOMbag – The world’s first reusable garbage bag on a mission to rid the world of single-use garbage bags 
•    Every Drop – An app designed to give Australians the tools to take charge of their water, improve their communities' climate resilience and ensuring we all have fair and equitable access to water today and tomorrow

The HATCH Accelerator Program supports Taronga’s vision to secure a shared future for people and wildlife through a 360-degree approach to conservation. 
The HATCH Pitch Event will take place on Tuesday 10 November at 6pm AEDT and is online and free to attend. As we near the end of a very challenging year, this is a great opportunity to be inspired by passionate changemakers and their innovative ideas to create a better future for us all. 

Registration link: https://events.humanitix.com/hatch-taronga-accelerator-program-pitch-event-2020