Illawarra entrepreneurs were celebrated on the global stage last night at the WomenTech Global Awards having successfully implemented a new and better way of doing Advance care planning for Australians.

University Of Wollongong iAccelerate-based businesswomen Rebecca Glover and April Creed of Aussie startup ExSitu have been recognized globally by WomenTech Global Awards 2020, the world’s largest community for women in tech held last night on December 3^rd 2020.

ExSitu uses technology and created a platform to empower those involved in the care industry to understand people’s core values. The platform which is now on its second version has been introduced into a variety of aged care facilities across the nation now allows you to comfortably complete your own Advance care planning documents at home, or through a range of legal and financial planning practitioners.

With over forty-five years of combined experience in the aged care sector, ExSitu Founders Rebecca Glover and April Creed have been dedicated to improving its standards and empower the people in the industry. They know from experience that people often do not plan for ageing until they are in crisis and this leaves families struggling to agree on how best to make decisions for those they care for.

“Traditional advance care planning documents are confronting and not wholistic and even when people attempt to complete them, they often feel lost and unsupported,” the founders shared.

The awards recognize the sophisticated use of technology in the ExSitu process that allows anyone to explore what they really value and complete powerful protective documents online in a way that gives them a sense of reassurance—with or without facilitation.

WomenTech Global Awards 2020

The WomenTech Global Awards 2020 brought together 2238 contestants from 153 countries in 22 categories. With more than 4300 ambassadors representing 161 countries, to be recognized at the largest virtual awards live celebration in technology for women, minorities and their allies, on December 3^rd 2020 across 16 time zones.

Keynote speakers included Kathryn C. Thornton, Former Nasa Astronaut, Chair, Board of Directors at Space Foundation & Professor Emeritus at University of Virginia Didem Un Ates; Managing Director, Data & AI, Europe Accenture; and Alana Karen, Director, Search Platforms, Google.

Winners and finalists included representatives from companies such as Facebook, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and the Space Foundation, and included women who specialise in Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and a range of roles within the tech sector, from all over the world.

ExSitu were rewarded with an award in the Generational Inclusion Category coming to a credible 2^nd place for their values-based advance care planning app that uses card sorting to help people reflect upon and communicate their wishes, to guide in decision making should they become unable to speak for themselves. The app outputs downloadable values-based advance care planning documents, which take person-centered care to the next level and has been embraced by care providers, law firms, individuals, and their families across Australia. WomenTech Global Awards 2020.

April and Bec are incredibly proud to have their work recognized globally saying, “we are really grateful for all the support we receive from communities like women in tech, and from our local tech scene here in the Illawarra (Silligong Valley). Having come from a background in Aged care it is been invaluable to have people to turn to for advice and support to help us grow our technology to what it is now. This award truly means a lot to us because there is a perception that older people can’t use technology”

We know that ageing Australians have a good grasp of digital literacy and believe that if our parents and grandparents can use Facebook and play solitaire then as software developers, we should design technology that they can use. This award recognises that we have created an app that can be used by anybody. So that even our most vulnerable loved ones can have a voice in the aged care and health care system which absolutely should be promoting digital solutions”

Nathan Harper of Silligong Valley said,  “this award is a great example of the type of thing we are fostering within the Silligong valley community. It shows what can happen when the tech community is able to support one another and draw on all kinds of knowledge to help people make meaningful change. We are really proud of them.”

April and Rebecca are available for interviews on location at iAccelerate Centre, Building 239, Innovation Campus, North Wollongong.  

ExSitu empowers older Australians to create their own wholistic advance care planning documents via an intuitive web-based app.
Video Explainer: https://youtu.be/23I7jyT_OOk
You can find out more about ExSitu at www.myexsitu.com

Media Contacts:

April Creed, [email protected], 0407648438
Rebecca Glover, [email protected]