From playgrounds to digital innovator
Territory business, Playground 123 is changing the game when it comes to playground maintenance by developing a new software program that makes auditing look like child’s play.
The traditional paper-based inspection and audit process for playgrounds in Australia has, for the longest time, remained largely unchanged.
However in 2019 Bob Fleming launched Playground123, a digital 'software as a service' (SaaS) program which allows for real-time digital audits and inspections, ensuring playgrounds adhere to Australian standards.
It offers playground owners an in-depth management tool, that combines maintenance, strategic planning, and risk management, all supported by cloud-based infrastructure.
Bob has built Playground 123 with support from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade’s Business Innovation, Business Acceleration and Digital Partnership programs. These programs have enabled Bob to access expert advice, tools and funding to help him with planning, development and now commercialisation.
Bob stated, “without NTG's support, we'd have been in a tight spot as the financial and business support was a game changer. It took longer than expected to get to the commercialisation stage with the software, however the market testing we did with actual users was highly beneficial as we’ve improved the end product for launch."
Last month, Playground 123 was one of 8 businesses invited to pitch their innovative idea at the 2023 Croc Pitch event, which was part of the Developing Northern Australia Conference.
On his experience at the Croc Pitch event, Bob shared, “pitching can be nerve-wracking, but practice helps. Feedback, especially from the expert panel of judges, was invaluable. Real, targeted advice trumps generic templates and ‘how-to’ guides any day of the week! Feedback has been instrumental in guiding our business growth."
Bob is excited for the future, "We're set for a November launch and have key meetings lined up from October and into 2024. The time has come for me to start meeting with prospective customers and demonstrating how good Playground123 actually is.”
To find out more about innovation in the Territory visit https://innovation.nt.gov.au/
