November 2020 LATEST NEWS |
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Well, October was a big month for us and it's only going to get bigger now that we are at the tail end of this crazy, world changing year! Last week we celebrated the culmination of 16 weeks of hard work, dedication and growth by our 2020 Startup Onramp Graduating Founders with our very first Graduation event. The night was a big success with our founders delivering Gaddie pitches to our panel of judges and receiving constructive feedback on the development and delivery of their product or service. It was an exciting night, with some of our founders finding their feet in public speaking and it was a great opportunity for the cohort to share their experiences of the course with other founders who may be interested in giving their startup or new idea a boost. A big congratulations to our graduating cohort, it was a pleasure supporting you all through this journey and we can't wait to see what's in store for you all next! |
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November is set to be a heavy hitter with our highly anticipated Big Ideas Youth Challenge reaching schools mid November. We've also got a ton of enlightening events coming up such as our Business Fundamentals Course run by our wonderful Lydia Canovas, promoting bad ass women in the workplace with our Gamechangers live-streaming watch party in collaboration with Townsville CityLibraries and some media and PR know-how with Julie Johnston. Our team are also hard at work developing SPNQ's Strategic Plan and we have some exciting membership news to share with you all very soon, so keep an eye out! We've also updated our contact number, which will be manned by our new recruit Brittany - our Engagement Architect. Check out the new number below or on our website. To let us know how we're going, or
should you need any assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to info@spnq.org or call 0459 252 212. |
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Please join us in welcoming some new faces to the Smart Precinct NQ team |
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Brittany Guiney
Engagement Architect As an Engagement Architect, my role involves engaging with the community in a variety of ways, such as Social Media/Marketing Campaigns and in person in our collaborative space. I have a deep love for working with the community which stems from my time as a Librarian and I'm most excited to form part of a team that supports and dedicates itself to helping our community thrive. "I love the power behind developing a supportive and inclusive community for all, we're strongest when we come together" |
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Julie Johnston
PR and Media Manager I have an extensive background in PR and media, and have run my own business, Creative Concepts PR for two years. I love to support business owners to think creatively to leverage publicity opportunities to share key messages, build their credibility as a leader in their field, and gain valuable brand exposure. As the Editor of BDmag, I am passionate about showcasing North Queensland’s entrepreneurs, innovators and business leaders, so working with Smart Precinct NQ as the PR & Media Manager complements this perfectly.. "There is so much talent and innovation in North Queensland, and it excites me to share those stories with the public. |
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startup OnRamp Founders Course |
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Expressions of Interest are now open for our 2021 Startup Onramp Founders Course! |
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Have you been sitting on an idea for some time, or have a startup that needs a bit of a boost? Yes? Then Startup Onramp is the perfect pre-accelerator course for you! The Startup Onramp course is a practical, video-based online course to show you how to start a startup and maximise its chances of success. It is for startup founders with global ambitions, and anyone with an idea for a startup. The course takes in 14 modules covering everything from viability, to launch, legals, investment, recruitment and customer retention - including support and feedback from your fellow cohort of startup entrepreneurs. |
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Expressions of Interest are now open to join this life-changing course, with our EOI applications closing on the 12th November, 2020. Places are limited so get your applications in as soon as possible. Startup Onramp is highly popular amongst Townsville founders and startups, but don't just take our word for it - check out the video above for real-life testimonials from our 2020 graduating cohort. For more information, visit our website or give us a call on 0459 252 212 and we can help you discover how Startup Onramp can benefit you. |
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"The startup onramp course is a smorgasbord of information for new founders presented using the opinions of some very successful entrepreneurs." - Paul Chandler, CEO of Aptissio and Alumni Graduate of StartUp OnRamp Founders Course |
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We still have tickets available for schools for our Big Ideas Challenge for 2020! The Big Ideas Challenge has been purposefully designed in collaboration with educators to engage young people in a fun and fast paced day of listening, learning and doing. This event will provide our young people with the opportunity to hear from some of Australia's most exciting and inspiring innovators and changemakers, as well as explicitly developing their entrepreneurial thinking and human centred design skills. The event will be delivered across two key sessions: |
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During the first half of the day, students will engage with inspirational speakers on a variety of relevant and topical areas, in particular the entrepreneurial mindset. The second half of the day, students will rapidly prototype their own innovative, scalable and sustainable solutions that make the world a better place. Our goal is to get local students and educators excited about Youth Entrepreneurship as a path to being 'Changemakers' in their city. Tickets are available for Schools, Years 7-10.
For more information and to book, please contact
Nicole Lucas | 0401 472 424 | nicole@spnq.org |
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We are currently seeking corporate sponsorship opportunities for this event, if you're interested in helping us engage with our future innovators and changemakers,
please contact Nicole and the team. Nicole | 0401 472 424
Brittany | 0459 252 212 |
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Introducing Russ Broad, Co-founder of Koorca Meet Russ Broad, the Charters Towers based co-founder of Koorca and a champion of community safety. A former Police Officer and Domestic Violence Liaison Officer, Russ credits the abduction and murder of Jill Meagher as the pivotal story that inspired the development of Koorca. The app he describes as CCTV in your pocket. | | |
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Koorca was founded in 2016 by Ben, Julia and Russ. They had separate careers before coming together managing cattle stations in NQ. The nature of agriculture, with its reliance on variables that cannot be controlled, sharpens problem solving skills and encourages innovation from those responsible for survival in difficult times.During the severe drought of 2012 there was a lot of soul searching when a distant tragedy captured the attention of the whole country. “We couldn’t change our weather situation so we thought about things we might be able to change. We were frustrated at the community safety problem, so we put our minds to it, and dreamed up this innovative solution. We decided that if nobody else was going to fix it then we would.” |
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With the smart phone app Koorca you can call 000 with a single tap. That same tap will automatically pin point your location and send the image in your viewfinder to a database. The data is then immediately accessible to the emergency operator if they are authorised. With the Koorca app you can send a photo whenever you have internet connectivity and call emergency services wherever mobile coverage is available.This also extends internationally where the Koorca app will autofill the emergency number for your location. "Two things I never leave the house without; Optimism and a handkerchief (just in case)." |
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shout-out to our SPONSORS |
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Smart Precinct NQ would like to give a very hearty thanks to our new bronze level sponsors - Daktech and Carey Group Accounting. We are deeply appreciative of their constant and ongoing support in helping us shape Townsville and North Queensland's future. |
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Mental Health for FoundersBook an appointment today! Mental Health encompasses our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It can affect how we think, feel and act; how we handle stress, relate to others and make choices. Rather than being about ‘what’s the problem?’ it’s really about ‘what’s going well?’. To help differentiate mental health and mental illness, experts have created a continuum where mental health – represented by feeling and functioning well – is at one end of the spectrum and mental illness – represented by symptoms affecting people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviour – is at the other (Beyond Blue, 2020). To avoid a burnout, it’s important to deter your mental health from transitioning into mental illness; and discussing your challenges with an objective professional can be the first step in early prevention. |
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To support Founders checking in on how they are going, Advance Queensland is supporting 240 free confidential mental health consultations with CleverMinds Consulting. Take this opportunity to meet with an objective and confidential health care professional, unpack and reflect what you have been through, where you are going and source tools to keep you going in your start-up journey!How is the service delivered? Consultations will be during working hours from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday via Zoom for regional founders.
"Dr Diane Harner helps individuals and organisations to become more self-aware and deliberate in their thinking and behaviour and to shift from automatic responses and routines to the intentional action that drives performance. She combines neuroscience with mental health as a useful way for people to understand their emotional state and apply practical strategies to promote mental well-being and resilience." |
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Little Giant StartUp Grant Expression of Interests are now open
The Little Giant Startup Grant is a competitive Grant for Australian Startup businesses and was started as a way to recognise and promote the incredible entrepreneurial spirit of Australia. The objective of the Little Giant Startup Grant is to encourage and support a startup business in the commercialisation process or launch of a minimum viable product or service within Queensland or throughout Australia.
The total value of the Little Giant Startup Grant is $50,000, consisting of $25,000 worth of legal advice from Bolter and $25,000 in cash. | | |
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Australian Government 90% Rebate on Domestic Interns An Australian Government 90% rebate is now available to all Australian businesses that place a domestic PhD student – this brings down the cost of a 3-month research project to just $2,000. Internships can be signed up until 31 March 2021, for completion by 31 August 2021 These internships are supported by the Australian Government, through its ‘Supporting more women in STEM careers: Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) – National Research Internships Program (NRIP)’. | | |
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NQ Inventors Meetup Online Have you developed a great product or have an idea for one that you'd like to see go to market? Then this is the Meetup for you! NQ Inventors Group is a community of like minded people creating innovative products and with a desire to commercialise them. Date: Tuesday 10th November, 2020
Time: 5:30pm - 6:30pm Cost: FREE | | |
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Founder2Founder | Ash Farrugia (ActivePipe) Online The Founder2Founder series is a series of informal events with in-person and virtual entrepreneurs sharing their journey, tips, and strategies to become a successful technology startup. This week join Ashley Farrugia, co-founder and CEO of ActivePipe – a marketing automation platform for real estate Date: Friday 13 November, 2020
Time: 9:00am Cost: FREE | | |
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Using your website and social media to generate sales | by Clinton Online Course Now more than ever small businesses are required to understand the importance of digital to generate sales. In this webinar, you will learn how to generate sales by using your social media and website effectively Date: Thursday 19th November, 2020
Time: 4:30pm - 5:30pm Cost: $9.17 | | |
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Connect with local Entrepreneurs! |
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Join a live chat with Townsville's local entrepreneurs! Now you can chat with local startups, developers, innovators and supporters any time of day using our slack channel! Slack is a computer app that was created as a way to have real-time conversations as a group or one-on-one. Join via the link below... | | |
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