Kickstarting the curious

Monday, 1 August 2016

As we start the month of ‘Curious’ we recognise the value of promoting inquiring minds and expanding our knowledge and experience. Curiosity is often sparked; that is, we take a grain idea and shape it into something that’s great. So if you are looking for that spark then the UON Enterprise and Innovation week (8th-12th August) is likely to be just the thing you are looking for…

Professor Liz Burd

The NeW Futures ‘UON Entrepreneur’ lead strategy highlights that ‘UON students will engage in courses and programs that provide experience in technological, creative or social innovation and entrepreneurship’. You will have likely heard about the STAR4000 course, the UON’s first interdisciplinary enterprise course open to staff and students and taught by Slingshot.  Amazing numbers of you have recently completed its Bootcamp. This was an inspiring event, full of enthused and passionate participants, many of whom questioned ‘what’s next’. Many, missed out this time, have contacted us that to ask when can they next join in. As the course continues, so the UON also continues our mission to promote our spirit of Enterprise and Innovation.

UON Enterprise and Innovation Week

UON Enterprise and Innovation week (8th-12th August) promises to be a fun packed week of activities open to all staff and students. Over 25 events will be held across our 4 campuses including from Monday to Thursday on Callaghan campus (Brennan Room) an expo where there will be opportunities to meet student entrepreneurs, gain hands on advice about starting up your own business, and to learn about some of the other innovative activities happening around campus.

The week is headlined by Nick Bowditch who will talk on ‘The Future of Work’. Nick has worked at both Facebook and Twitter, and is the only person in the world to have worked in marketing at both brands. He will tell of his experiences as a successful entrepreneur and his extensive work as an advisor and investor for startups in Australia and internationally. A thought-leader in social media, Nick will discuss the power of storytelling as a means of marketing and as an engagement tool to transcend generations.

The week will culminate in a Business Pitch Competition – an opportunity for our students to pitch their business ideas to a group of esteemed industry professionals with the chance to win up to $2,500 in funding to support the proposed business development, access to up to 20 hours of mentoring support, and a place at UON’s newly developed Innovation Hub on Hunter Street.

Other highlights of the week include masterclasses, speed mentoring and an expert panel discussion. Our very own Melanie James will compere ‘Innovate Me’ an expert panel discussion on Monday, 8 August @ 4PM in the Godfrey Tanner Bar. The four panellists are Jennifer Holland (Founder and CEO of Throat Scope), Tim Silverwood (Co-founder of Take 3), Todd Williams (CEO Regional Development Australia) and Adam Grant (founder of Jafflechutes).

About Jafflechutes

If you a looking for something quirky to inspire you then join us at the Jaffleshute drop on Monday 8th August at 12pm. Jafflechutes, the world's first float-down pop up eatery. Founded by some of our alumni, in 2014 the Jafflechutes team rode the word-of-mouth wave to New York and Montreal where previously no one had a clue what a jaffle was! Since then, Jafflechutes has sponsored events for Channel Seven, Paypal and McDonald’s and been covered by TIME Magazine, Fox News and Vogue. The Jafflechutes model ordering process is simple: watch social media for clues about the upcoming drop, make your order over Paypal, find the ‘X’ near our designated drop area, and catch! Use #enterprisingUON

Remember Enterprise and Innovation Week is free to all UON students and staff. UON’s Curious definition proposes ‘we are inspired by possibility’ so kickstart or reboot your creative juices but don’t miss out -- join the fun:

UON Enterprise and Innovation week - 8th to 12th August, 2016. http://www.newcastle.edu.au/industry/enterprise-innovation

Catch us on Facebook and Twitter: #enterprisingUON


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