Startup & Entrepreneurship

The 2011 City of Sydney Business Awards are now open to nominations and votes across 22 business categories. The awards include restaurants, small bars and cafes, retail fashion and retail beauty, tourism, health and fitness, online business, the new ANZ Fast Starter Award, which recognises fast-growing businesses with a turnover greater than $5 million, the Small Business of the Year and the Business of the Year awards, among others.

The 2011 edition of Enterprize, the seed-capital competition run by University of Queensland's business school, is under way. The school put together some enlightening video clips in which previous winners of the 10-year-old contest share what they have achieved and learned.

Entrepreneurs' Night Out is on in Brisbane for a round of meeting and mingling. Share a drink. Have a laugh. And most importantly, help...

Yep, Pitch Club's last attempt at Pitch Club Hobart in June was stalled thanks to the ash clouds, but it's ready to go again! Whether...

Simon Moss, who co-founded a newly minted company that is tapping into the crowdsourcing phenomenon, offers his insight and personal experience in a talk presented at VIVID Creative Sydney. His enterprise, ImageBrief, aims to turn the stock-photography market on its head.

A typical successful entrepreneur is flexible, understands that a startup is not necessarily a business -- and computes with a Mac. That's the broad takeaway from an appearance on ABC's "Business Today" segment by Marcus Tarrant, managing director of MissionHQ, an online tool for developing business plans.

Products ranging from surfboards to fresh juice, are getting an unusual spotlight this week. Seven Australian entrepreneurs will be featured in a online book that will be unveiled as part of a launch event 28 June for Nokia's E6 and E7 smartphones. So, here's a video to promote an ebook about Australian entrepreneurs to sell mobile phones. Go figure.

Over a coffee last week, I was asked to provide a snapshot of the current state of the entrepreneurial scene in Australia to a returning entrepreneur. I outlined a number of structural matters that I believe affect the depth of the Australian entrepreneurial community. As I fly now, London-bound, having watched one too many Glee episodes, I am fully charged with the confidence to express these feelings publicly.

Applications for Tech23 2011 close tomorrow, Friday 24 June 2011. Tech23 is a NSW-born initiative for young, innovative and fast-growing Australian companies. Prizes include $150,000 in cash, thanks to the NSW Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services.

Albert Einstein may have said “Imagination is more important than knowledge”, however, modern western society still tends to value what can actually be ‘seen’ (in the physical sense) more highly than ‘un-materialised’ ideas or visions alone. This raises a very important question: “How can we leverage the power of the ‘physical’ to raise our own or your product's perceived value, so you can sell more, charge more and ‘become’ a key influencer within your marketplace?”

Australia could always use more angel investors, says Dean McEvoy, co-founder of the wildly successful group-buying site Spreets. "Doing a startup in Australia is kind of like growing a plant in a dark cupboard. It's really bloody hard," McEvoy said in a talk presented at VIVID Creative Sydney.

According to Ernst & Young, there is no entrepreneur gene. However, many do possess certain characteristics that have proven vital to their success. For its report titled Nature or Nurture: Decoding the Entrepreneur, business advisory behemoth Ernst & Young surveyed 685 entrepreneurs from all over the world and interviewed winners of its Entrepreneur of the Year award.

As a business owner, being open to ideas is what separates the great from the ho-hum. Often business owners talk the talk, yet they’re quick to stifle creativity from staff members when even the simplest new idea is put forward. Go figure!

In a six-minute, whirling-dervish, evangelical talk at VIVID Creative Sydney, Pollenizer co-founder Mick Liubinskas lets us all know why he believes that Australia's entrepreneurial spirit is very much alive and well.

Jordan Green, Founder of Melbourne Angels/ Deputy Chairman of the Australian Association of Angel Investors, and Bob Peterson, start-up investor, mentor and Founder of F3 will make a presentation about the types of OPM (other-peoples-money) typically referred to as 'capital raising' for early stage ventures.

Looking to offload your ‘so last season’ gadgetry and wouldn’t mind pocketing some dosh in the process? New Melbourne-based business ReGadget was recently launched to offer real cash money for an assortment of out-of-date techtastic goodies, including mobile phones. Sound frivolous? Australia is responsible for exporting e-waste to China, India and other Asian countries at an estimated worth of $20 million per annum.

Gabby Leibovich, co-founder of the discount buying sites CatchoftheDay.com.au and Scoopon.com.au, will be our guest entrepreneur at the latest Entrepreneurs' Night Out in Melbourne on Tuesday, 14 June. If you're a Victoria-based business owner with a passion for ideas and success, this night's for you! (We guarantee you won't find a better deal this side of Scoopon.)

Entries for the Enterprize 2011, a national business plan competition coordinated by the University of Queensland (UQ), has opened for applications. Each application must consist of a business plan up to eight pages long and the chosen finalists will be provided with the opportunity to compete for the final prize of $100,000.

Pitch Club is back in Hobart on 17 June. So, if you have a great business idea or just want to see what the next step might be, grab your ticket now and get ready to tell us all about it! Also, we are running our Opportunity Evaluation and Pitching Workshop in Hobart between 12.30pm and 3.30pm, also on 17 June.

What makes a good business incubator? While access to the internet, clean bathrooms and top-notch meeting areas are all important, here are my three 'concepts' for creating a collegial working environment for fast-growth SMEs.