UWA Start Something Winners Announced

Last week marked the conclusion of the Start Something Program at the University of Western Australia, a UWA Innovation Quarter Initiative established to develop, promote and foster entrepreneurship within the university environment.

Congratulations to Jo Hawkins and Jonathan Lilley who were the winners of the ‘Start Something Prize for Entrepreneurship’ and Ghulam Hassan who received the CSA Global Prize in Entrepreneurship.

Each prizewinner will receive mentoring from an Innovation Cluster expert, access to a desk space at the Tech Hub and industry contacts.

Developed by Innovation Cluster, a Perth organisation of industry experts involved with guiding corporate innovation and research commercialisation, with content from Atomic Sky, the program was designed to empower participants with the skills needed to turn their ideas into a successful business.

The month long program engaged over thirty researchers and Post Graduate students from ten different faculties of the University.

Each workshop focussed on a different aspect of the commercialisation process, with topics ranging from market identification to how to pitch to recognising funding routes. Particularly popular amongst participants was the opportunity to interact with experienced entrepreneurs who had successfully commercialised ideas in the healthcare, resources, information technology, engineering, social enterprise and innovation sectors.

Participants concluded the program with a better understanding of whether there was a business or commercially viable product in their research as well as an awareness of next steps they could take in commercialisation.