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Lucky old Sydney will play host to its first co-founder start-up speed dating event this evening.
Are you a technical or business founder gagging to work on web- and mobile-based tech start-ups? Then get your heinie over to Co-founder Speed Date and register.
Founders Ryan Wardell and Navdeep Saini will launch the first event at the Ninefold conference room, 2 Market Street, when the clock turns 6pm. They are encouraging founders with programming or sales skills to attend – even if they’re not currently sporting a killer business idea.
“This is more about the people, less about the idea,” Wardell says. “Good ideas are everywhere, but finding the perfect cofounder is much more difficult.”
“There are some very talented people out there who are stuck in the corporate grind. If you’ve been toying with the idea of joining a start-up, Cofounder Speed Date is the best way to dip your toes into the start-up world.”
Wardell believes that, for many, the lure of start-up success is stronger than that of secure, paid employment.
“Really good coders can command high salaries in the corporate sector. But they get bored – the work is repetitive and unsatisfying and at the end of the day, they’re just another cog in the machine. Most of the best coders I’ve met wanted to build something amazing, leave their mark on the world.”
“That’s why the idea of joining a start-up is so appealing.”
“You don’t have to quit your job and jump in the deep end. In many cases, founders still work full-time or part-time at their day job, and then work on their start-up after hours. It’s a case of transitioning out of your job and into your start-up as it takes off.”
The lads think it’s a way good time to be a technology entrepreneur in Australia, with incubators and accelerators like Startmate, Pollenizer, AngelCube and PushStart popping up all over the shop. However, Wardell says the current ecosystem relies on having a founding team already in place.
Startmate founder Niki Scevak will be guest speaker for the first Co-founder Speed Date event.
“What we’re looking for at Startmate is great teams, first and foremost,” he says.
Although the intrepid duo is yet to put their first event to bed, Wardell and Saini already have their eyes on expansion.
“The scene in Melbourne is definitely gathering steam, and there’s some interesting stuff going on in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. Wollongong’s also turning into a bit of a tech hub too,” Wardell says.
“Right now, it’s about building awareness – so many people just have no idea how to get into the start-up community in the first place.”
“Then it’s about getting the right sponsors and partners on board so we can expand and take the event to other cities around Australia.”
Ready to work less… and achieve more?
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Ryan Wardell Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:47 am
Hey Alex,
It’s Ryan from Cofounder Speed Date here. There’s a lot of stuff going on in Perth and I’d be keen to set up an event over there in the next few months. If you want to get involved, shoot me an email – ryan@projectpowerup.com or catch us on twitter – @csdau:twitter
Thanks again Natalie for the article!
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