The people behind Innovation Cluster.

Melanie’s skills and experience centre on event production, operations management, project management and relationship building. Since graduating from UWA with a Commerce degree she has worked in the sport, arts, entertainment and event industries, providing services such as operations management, sponsorship, event management, funds sourcing and acquittals, ticketing, marketing, volunteer management, guest liaison and compliance.

Simona has nearly two decades of experience working with some of the largest companies in the world as well as small start-ups and everything in between. She helps business owners gain more sanity, clarity and freedom in their lives by mentoring them on maximising their opportunities, profit, cash and assets to create sustainable wealth for them and their shareholders.

Education Program Lead at the Centre for Engineering Innovation: Agriculture and Ecological Restoration, University of Western Australia, and a Rural Women’s Award alumna.

Matt is an experienced technology investor and company director who chairs organisations including icetana, Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre, and PetRescue. A former venture capitalist and startup founder, he is passionate about backing innovation, technology, and the commercialisation of great ideas.

Sonya is an Australian agritech advisor and ecosystem builder with deep experience across the agrifood supply chain, helping founders and producers connect on-farm challenges with scalable solutions. As Managing Director of Pine Tree Projects and a 2018 Nuffield Australia Scholar, she works with startups and innovation programs to drive practical, outcomes-focused agtech adoption.

Mohinder is a robotics engineer and the founder of Curve Tomorrow. He has experience developing user-friendly health technologies that address real-world challenges. With over 20 years in the tech industry, Mohinder combines his passion for innovation with a commitment to making a positive impact on the world.

Greg uses his extensive experience in corporates, SMEs and start-ups to advise founders on how to become investment ready, how to create and capture value, and how to position their ventures to harvest returns for shareholders, investors or stakeholders. In 2020, Greg was recognised as the Australian Angel Investor of the Year and awarded the WA Pearcey Entrepreneur Award.

Experienced economist with a demonstrated history of working in government administration. Skilled in sustainable development, farms, rural development, facilitation and natural resource management, with a Master of Science in Resource Economics from the University of Western Australia.

Josh is an award-winning investor and entrepreneur, recognised as the 2023 Australian Angel Investor of the Year and co-founder of Eastend Ventures and Southern Angels. With a background in tech commercialisation and innovation programs, he is passionate about supporting startups to grow and scale.

Amy is an entrepreneur and impact-driven founder who has built ventures focused on social and environmental change, including a multi-award-winning social enterprise in Mozambique that supported more than 60,000 people out of poverty. As Co-Founder of Raaise, she is focused on helping pro-planet founders access capital and scale their impact faster.