Spark Tank 2022

Emma is Head of Business Development for a global law firm. She has over 20 year’s experience in leading strategic business plans to develop growth opportunities in the corporate and financial institutions market. Recently she has also been consulting to a scale up organisation in the climate data management space. 

Over her career Emma has been involved in a range pro bono activities both in the corporate and not for profit space.

On the side, Emma is also a mum to three children, an ocean swimmer, and an ‘okay’ tennis player.

Anthony is the founder 

and Managing Director of id8 Studio with 20 years as a skilled creative director, commercial manager and industrial designer. 

In 2002, Anthony established Id8 Studio and has spent the past 20 years growing the business to be one of the leading retail display companies in Australia today. He is fortunate to lead a talented and dynamic team of design, operations and activation specialists, delivering end to end innovative display and category solutions at retail.

Anthony passions include sport and music which take him to the beach, snow fields and the sidelines of sports grounds around the northern beaches watching and encouraging his active family.

Muriel is an experienced business owner, passionate about sales & marketing, brand building and customer relationship management. She has a demonstrated history of entrepreneurship, from starting up a business, managing it all the way through to exiting the market. She brings executive experience in wholesale & distribution, import & export, sales & key account management and team leadership.  

She has joined The Alternative Board as a business coach and facilitator and is now helping other small and medium sized business owners on their journey. She is a graduate from AICD and a mentor with Inspiring Rare Birds to educate and support women entrepreneurs and leaders, promoting gender equality in business

It is a privilege to be taken on someone else's business journey and it would give Muriel a great Spark to see these kids reaching their personal and business goals and follow their passion.

Paul is a Chartered Chemical Engineer 

with 26 years experience running small businesses in Australia and the US. In 1996, Paul started Dioxide Pacific (premises in Warriewood) which is a manufacturer of water treatment technologies primarily focused on healthcare; industrial; food and beverage water disinfection processes. In 2010, Paul incorporated the same business in the US (Dioxide Pacific Inc) to facilitate sales of the Australian manufactured products through distribution channels in the US. 

Ten years ago, Paul founded Paul Grover & Associates which is a consulting business providing design advice in the area of water treatment and water disinfection. 

Paul has a keen eye for product and process innovation through invention, R&D, patents and trade secrets. He also has knows what it takes to start and run successful small businesses including all aspects of day to day operation. 

Living in Palm Beach and enjoying the local activities: swimming, fishing and walking are some of his leisure joys along with family time (3 adult children and a grand-dog) and being involved at church in Avalon.

Paul is a problem-solving web expert with over 20 years in the industry, architecting and developing software  in operational and management roles. Since 2002 he has founded and built 2 web development companies to help small and medium sized businesses use the web and web-based systems to their advantage. Through his business he enjoys developing and encouraging the gifts in his employees, working on startup products and partnering with experts in their field to see their vision come to life by creating online software using the latest technologies

As a family man and active community member, Paul loves seeing the potential in kids activated and encouraged through sport and any initiative utilising their gifts and interests.

Paul proposed the idea for Spark Tank in 2019.

Warren has been a local councillor for the Hornsby Shire since 2017. 

He is also a manager of The Persimmon Place, a horticultural enterprise offering primary production of exotic fruit, farm gate experience and hospitality. 

Warren says he has always had goals and believes life is a gift that he makes the most of. He likes to represent community and various associations that span local government, home industry, horticulture and foreign affairs. 

Warrens other interests include growing things at his farm, being in solved in youth projects both at home and abroad, constructing homes and travel. 

Neil has been CEO of Mills Group for the past 8 years, working with many of Australia’s best known retailers and brands across a wide range of products and services. He has worked in a wide variety of roles and industries and gained many business practical knowledges and experiences along the way. 

Outside of his most important role as a husband and father of 3 boys, his other passion is football (soccer) and he is involved with his local club as vice-president, coach and player. 

At some key points in life, Neil has been fortunate enough to have a few excellent mentors that have helped shape his path and he attributes much of what he has been able to achieve to having had their input. 

It’s for this reason that he is involved in Share the Spark and hoping to make even just the tiniest positive difference to someone else.

Francisco always felt he looked at the world differently to others. From a young age things that seemed to be accepted as normal didn’t quite seem so normal to him. He developed a keen interest in expressing one's inner thoughts and found that calling in the arts, in particular the fields of animation and illustration. The study of life and movement and the fluidity of energy as it changes form to best express itself. 

That path led him to have a deeper connection with the world around him as well as his inner world. He looked to feed the mind through philosophy and mindful practices, as well as being focused on nutrition and the food in which we consume on a daily basis, and how that affects how we develop thoughts and how ultimately we feel about ourselves.

Today you can find Francisco prepping art installations at various museums across Sydney or getting the final details ready for his soon-to-open organic cafe and workshop space.

Remee and Gabriella are forming a surf camp program focusing on resilience through tackling key issues facing adolescents. The Sparks judges awarded them $3,200 seed funding, a $3,000 brand package, and 10 weeks of business coaching with change expert, Barbara. 

Melodie, Alice, Luke, and Rosie are forming a radio station for young people named Radio KBTO - Kids by the Ocean. The Sparks judges awarded them $2,300 seed funding, a $3,000 brand package, and 10 weeks of business coaching with start-up and media expert, Nigel. 

Beth and Joe form the team Wasted Potential, the name for their upcycled vintage clothing line that gives back. The Sparks judges awarded them $3,500 seed funding, a $3,000 brand package, and 10 weeks of business coaching with professional business expert, Anne.

Nathan and Tiarna are creating a blog, podcast, and social media community built with one purpose - to bridge the gap between high school and adulthood! The Sparks judges awarded them $5,000 seed funding, a $3,000 brand package, and 10 weeks of business coaching with funding expert, Nikolas. 

April, Cienna, Grace, and Skye form Next Step of Nature with their idea to educate young people about how the earth is being treated and how they can help. The Sparks judges awarded them $2,000 seed funding, a $3,000 brand package, and 10 weeks of business coaching with Bush to Bowl founder, Clarence. 

Luka and Arjun form the Gaming Anonymous team with their idea to create a peer-to-peer help group and educational app to combat gaming addiction in young people.  The Sparks judges awarded them $3,000 seed funding, a $3,000 brand package, and 10 weeks of business coaching with IT expert, Paul.