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The duo behind a NDIS compliance platform designed to keep healthcare providers accountable has taken the top prize at the UQ Ventures ilab x Momentum Accelerator Pitch Night, giving them potential access to $100,000.
Founded by Giselle Torres Pabon and Jesse Costelloe, Rise is a platform that offers NDIS providers an audit score which covers topics like safety compliance, HR training, financial audits, IT security reviews, data privacy checks and more.
The service integrates AI into its assessments, with NaviAI trained on legislation and best practices, helping distill complex legislation and assisting providers in collecting compliant data.
The pitch night marked the first-ever combined ilab x Momentum Accelerator event. As winners of the event, Pabon and Costelloe will have the opportunity to receive up to $100,000 in funding from the UniQuest Extension Fund, subject to due diligence.
Separately, UQ’s broader ScaleUP Showcase drew more than 400 investors, mentors, partners and supporters, highlighting innovation across multiple sectors including biotech, AI, health and medtech, cleantech, SaaS, enterprise solutions and creative tech.
“As founders, we’ve witnessed first-hand just how overwhelming compliance can be for healthcare organisations,” Pabon said.
“Rise makes staying compliant far simpler, and with Ventures and our partners by our side, we’re moving fast to support providers and make a real difference where it’s needed most.”
Other awards included the Entrepreneurs-in-Resident (EiR) Awards, which were given to travel tech startup Tripzy – an app that simplifies group travel by combining itinerary planning, shared payments and real-time coordination. The platform is able to turn saved TikToks and Instagram posts into organised, map-based itinerates.
The winner of the People’s Choice Award went to Brisbane-based study software activATAR, which promotes academic success through gamified physical activity. The company was founded in 2024 by Wijdan Rahim and Ethan Lee, two medical students who both achieved ATAR results above 99.
The pitch night marked the conclusion of Ventures’ 15-week combined accelerator, which celebrated 19 start-ups and their collaboration with industry partners, alumni, mentors and sponsors.
The top 10 startups were selected to take part in the pitch night.
“We are so proud of our founders - they demonstrate the best of our community’s entrepreneurial spirit, continuously turning up with curiosity, courage, and a commitment to collaborate and create change,” University of Queensland's Acting Head of Entrepreneurship Dr Veronica Nolan said.
“They’re not just building startups - they’re shaping the future.”
The Ventures program is set to continue, with applications for the 2026 ilab Accelerator opening before the end of November.
The ScaleUP Showcase and ilab x Momentum Accelerator Pitch Night were supported by QIC, UniQuest, UniQuest Extension Fund, Everest Engineering, Pitcher Partners, Google Cloud, The Product Bus, Dare Capital Australia and Business News Australia as its media partner.
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