Hardware Connect

Come and learn from expert viewpoints from the coal face, networking and drinks for a gathering of all those interested in the NSW startup community.

​The last few years have seen huge changes even beyond those brought about by the global pandemic. All organisations are having to come to terms with a completely new business environment including supply chain disruption (or shock), skills shortages, China lockdowns and changing work patterns. Join the event and learn how startups faced challenges throughout the pandemic.

​We'll be hearing from:

• ​Heba Khamis, CEO and Co-founder of Contactile

• ​Bruce Tulloch, Managing Director at BitScope Designs

• ​Dr John Heasman, Chief Operating Officer at Epiminder

​​Hear all about their amazing stories about founding and building their innovations, products, and businesses. At the end of the talk, get the chance to catch up with familiar faces and network with the brightest in the hardware community.

​About the speakers

​Heba Khamis, CEO and Co-founder of Contactile

Heba holds a PhD in Engineering, B (Software) Engineering and B Medical Science. She has applied her expertise in biosignal processing, pattern recognition and machine learning in complex biomedical problems including epilepsy, cardiac and autonomic diseases, malnutrition and human tactile physiology. Since 2014, she has been developing tactile sensors for robotic gripping that are inspired by the human sense of touch. She is the CEO and a co-founder of Contactile – a UNSW Sydney spin-out that is commercialising the PapillArray tactile sensor technology that is giving robots a human sense of touch and enabling robotic dexterity

Bruce Tulloch, Managing Director at BitScope Designs

Director of New Technologies at JetPack Aviation, an innovative Australian owned business which successfully developed and flew the world's first true jetpack around the Statue of Liberty in New York in 2015 and which is now developing the Speeder AUV. Managing Director and Co-founder of BitScope Designs, another innovative Australian company which designs and manufactures IoT and Cloud Computing solutions for Embedded, Industrial and Educational use around the world. Former chair of The Studio Limited, Australia's first Media-Tech Incubator in the Sydney Start-Up Hub, Steward at The Guild of Entrepreneurs in support of start-up founders and a keen advocate for improving STEM education in schools.

​Dr John Heasman, Chief Operating Officer at Epiminder

John has over 20 years’ experience in medical devices. He provides specialist expertise, operations management and leadership for global activities and teams. He has led the design and development of a number of active implantable investigational devices into first in human studies. He is an electrical engineer and holds a PhD from Sydney University