Tech space has its day in Perth sun

Perth’s investors showed their appetite went beyond resources at the city’s Ritz Carlton on Tuesday, turning out to scope opportunities in the emerging tech space.

Even in the midst of a commodity market mini-boom, Vertical Events’ TechKnow Invest Perth conference drew a solid crowd, with attendees given insight into local tech plays both on the up and taking the world by storm.

A number of people also tuned into TechKnow online – a fact not lost on Vertical Events business development manager Jaxon Crabb in conversation with Stockhead on the day.

“For Vertical Events to put on a show in Perth for ASX-listed tech companies and sell out the program, with 250 people registered and another near-on 400 streaming online – it’s a true testament to the outstanding companies that are participating today,” he said.

“The natural assumption in a city like Perth would be that most the investment community would be leaning towards resources, but that’s clearly not the case.

“It’s been a really enjoyable event from the context of being able to watch these investors hear some exciting stories.”

It wasn’t just local investors tuning in. Intlang Consulting Group managing director Gloria Zhang told Stockhead there was strong interest in share market investment from abroad with plenty of people paying attention to the tech space.

Zhang said Intlang had fielded interest in TechKnow, as international investors shifted their interests from property to other areas.

“We’re committed to bringing Australian products and services to the international market, we’ve had a lot of people come over today and talk to me about the international space,” she said.

“I believe Australia products are really good but underpromoted – it’s up to us and events like today to bring the products to the investor.”

Among those standouts on the TechKnow program were personal smart hearing device creator and retailer Nuheara (ASX:NUH); InteliCare Holdings (ASX:ICR) – the recent winner of three prestigious national technology 2020 iAwards – and 3D-printed implant specialist Osteopore (ASX:OSX).

Perth-founded and based Nuheara was recently featured on the cover of Time magazine’s Top 100 Inventions of 2020 special edition.

CEO Justin Miller told Stockhead that was a huge vote of confidence in the company’s product and business.

“The Time cover is hard to ignore,” he said.

“As a disrupter you always want to be either famous or infamous – this cover is a great endorsement of our tech and our product.”

Miller said it was important to get the message for products like Nuheara’s – a smart earbud designed to cater an individual’s hearing profile – out to the market.

“We all do our roadshows and these sorts of events, but a lot of people here today are retail investors,” he said.

“It’s important that they get their opportunity to see us, get updated and get the opportunity to ask us questions as well.”

Others to capture the imagination included Neurotech International (ASX:NTI) – a company focused on the development and commercialisation of neurological solutions that improve quality of life which has recently carried out work into the links between its proprietary DOLCE/NTI cannabis leads and the repair of brain cells.

Neurotech International closed the day on the ASX more than 34% higher than its open price without a release to market.

NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals (ASX:NSB) also performed strongly at TechKnow. Fronted by chairman Brian Leedman, the company is currently developing peptide-based compounds which it believes may prevent neurodegeneration and stimulate neuroregeneration.

The Vertical Events calendar is a busy one this time of year, with the Ritz Carlton Perth also playing host to the New World Metals conference today.

At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While Osteopore, NeuroScientific Biopharmaceuticals and Neurotech are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article.