Last Updated: Tuesday 24 March, 2026
Victorian startups The Past Connection and nrtureAI have each received $25,000 in additional funding after taking out the CivVic Labs Experience Victoria Challenge.
- The Past Connection is a one‑stop platform where people can find and book heritage‑themed experiences, events and journeys from tourism operators across Victoria.
- tRetail Labs’ nrtureAI is an Agentic AI CX platform that uncovers emotional drivers of traveler behaviour and spend, enabling smarter visitor economy strategies.
Delivered by LaunchVic and funded through the Regional Tourism Industry Development Program, a group of ten emerging startups received $12,500 in equity-free funding, alongside mentoring from key tourism industry and government representatives, and guidance from LaunchVic.
The 10 startups put their innovations to the test in a six-week bootcamp experience, where a panel of industry experts selected the two winning teams to take home an additional $25,000 each.
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to our partners at the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions for making this CivVic Labs Challenge possible.
