Biowin, the newest Reds sponsor, will wine and dine heavy hitters at its Suncorp Stadium corporate box

A new sponsor of the Queensland Reds is a still-obscure Brisbane start-up aiming to flog “neurotech’’ therapeutic clothing.

JOINING THE BIG LEAGUE

A still-obscure Brisbane start-up aiming to flog “neurotech’’ therapeutic clothing has managed to corral some pretty heavy hitters to their corporate box at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

Biowin plans to wine and dine the likes of former Tourism Minister Kate Jones, QIC’s Tom Murphy and ex-Wallaby Dr Mark Loane to watch the Super Rugby AU final pitting the Reds against the Brumbies.

No surprise that the company has a prime perch to watch the game, since it forked out a heap of dough in February to join the likes of Santos, Rio Tinto and St George Bank in a two-year sponsorship deal with the Reds.

That move now seems like a gamble which has already paid off, with a huge audience tuning in for the game sure to see the Biowin name emblazoned on the team jerseys.

Raj Guruswamy.

Starting later this month, the firm, which is effectively a regional subsidiary of a Canadian outfit called VoxxLife, will start selling specialised socks, insoles, patches and sleeves online. Talks are underway to wheel them out at chemist shops too.

The products feature special tactile patterns that activate neuroreceptors on parts of the body to neutralise aches and pains, as well as assist with balance and mobility.

While a bit pricey, with the socks alone starting at about $50 a pair, the goods have apparently become quite a hit with Olympic champs and other athletes across North America and Europe.

The gent masterminding Biowin’s push across Australia, NZ and southeast Asia is Raj Guruswamy, a mechanical engineer from India who previously spent the five years to late 2018 as the head of corporate affairs for Adani Mining (now rebadged as Bravus).

He’s also got a logistics background, with a seven-year stint at Linfox, as well as time spent with Toll and Aurizon.

Guruswamy told City Beat that he’ll be launching the Biowin product range at the four-day Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference & Trade Exhibition on the Gold Coast starting May 20.

Claiming there’s nothing else like it on the market, he hopes to sell at least a million of the items over the next two to three years.

NEED FOR SPEED

Who knew the company operating Japan’s legendary bullet trains has had an outpost in Sydney for quite a few years?

Well, it turns out they’re now consulting to the NSW government, which last month flagged a renewed commitment to fast rail.

But, with Brisbane the odds-on favourite to host the 2032 Olympic games, shouldn’t the Central Japan Railway Co be teeing up meet’n greets in Queensland to pitch a few transport upgrades?

A bullet train passes Mt Fuji.

This week the head of their Australian office, Yoshikazu Nishida, talked up the speed, safety, extreme punctuality and green credentials of the network at a Brisbane Club function hosted by the Queensland Japan Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Among those taking it all in were MP and deputy speaker Joe Kelly and Brisbane City Councillor Ryan Murphy, who heads up a transport committee.

Nishida’s firm is already engaged with high-speed projects in the US and Taiwan so it’s not a stretch to think it could happen here.

Meanwhile, back home, they’re building Japan’s next-generation “superconducting maglev’’ trains, which travel up to 600km per hour and will start operating in 2027.