Ever had one of those shower moments where you find yourself mid-shampoo completely transfixed on a brilliant idea that you're sure no one has ever, ever thought of? If you're like me you'll appreciate how running water can quickly turn into running ideas; but how exactly do you take it from cold to hot all on your own?
Trust me, you aren't the only one alone in this, there are plenty of people struggling with how to get their ideas from dream state to a steady fill of reality. We all want to be the next big entrepreneur, right? Well, what you really need is a strong network and support system to help transition your great idea from your shower to the world.
The
Sydney Genesis Entrepreneurship Competition is a program run by the University of Sydney that will assist with the development of your idea and your skills as an innovator and entrepreneur, and will also allow you to make key connections within the entrepreneur community.
I was lucky enough to win the 2012 Sydney Genesis 'Best Business/Tech Startup' category for my app WeSit, a babysitting app that connects parents to trusted sitters. While I'd already built a great network around me of potential users, I didn't know how to create and deliver a product that customers would pay for. Sydney Genesis provided the network that was able to guide me along that path. My shower dream then turned from cold to burning hot after landing a $20,000 deal with BlackBerry to build WeSit!
The Sydney Genesis competition is not just beneficial to the teams that win. The opportunities of simply entering and being involved in the program are more beneficial than you might think. You may even end up following in the footsteps of last years finalist, Tom Pastro, who went on to join Australia's premiere startup accelerator, Startmate, followed by 3 months spent in Silicon Valley pitching to investors!
Just like you, Sydney University knows launching a business is a tough feat on your own, so the Sydney Genesis Competition offers students workshops, mentoring, networking and $10,000 in cash and prizes. Workshops are focused on actionable tasks that guide you step by step through the most difficult phase - getting started. Workshops are led by a mixture of Australia's leading entrepreneurs and investors, including Kim Heras (Pushstart), Marc Lehmann (Saasu), Mick Liubinskas (Pollenizer), Niki Scevak (Blackbird Ventures/Startmate), Petra Andrén (ATP Innovations), and Whitney Komor (TheBestDay).
So, if you don't want your idea to get washed down the drain and you're ready to turn your startup dreams into reality, submit your 1 page proposal to Sydney Genesis by 5pm this Friday 16 August, 2013.
Curious about Entrepreneurship?
Check out this
list of startup resources on the Genesis website
If you want to get involved in the Sydney startup scene, check out these upcoming meetups, workshops and public talks:
Author: Georgia Kia, current student at the University of Sydney Business School
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