Tian Yang
Tian Yang is the founding member and current president of Student Entrepreneurs | Agents of Change, an organisation dedicated to creating and cultivating entrepreneurship communities in Australian universities. He is also the sponsorship and partnership manager of the second annual Entrepreneurs Week 2009. Tian is currently completing his Bachelor of Commerce/Media & Communication degree at the University of Melbourne. (@tian_yang)
Google Instant: Search revolution or baseless hype?
The moment Google unveiled its novelty technology Instant Search it inspired a young Stanford student Feross Aboukhadijeh to create an Instant search experience for Youtube. He posted his work on Hacker News and, within 24 hours, Feross received a tweet directly from Youtube CEO Chad Hurley asking "Are you ready to leave school?"
Electric cars ready to go mainstream
Better Place, an ambitious, venture capital backed company, is building electric car infrastructures targeting major cities around the world. The idea is simple yet constitutes a radical departure from conventional wisdom – instead of stretching the technological limits of a battery’s life, Better Place is constructing a network of battery swap stations that will allow electric cars to replace its depleted battery for a new one in less than 60 seconds.
Aircrafts three generations beyond will save 70% fuel and fly at subsonic speed
A NASA aircraft design competition -- known as “N+3” to denote three generations beyond today’s commercial fleet -- has produced the blueprint of an aircraft that will save 70% fuel, produce less noise and less pollution while travelling at subsonic speed.
New Coca-Cola fountain mixes 100 different drinks on the spot
Last week, Coca-Cola North America announced a new self-serve drink fountain, Coca-Cola Freestyle, that will offer over 100 flavours in one place. All flavours are mixed freshly on the spot, and many of them have never been seen on the market before.
Google Invests in app that will predict the future
Google’s latest move to invest in Recorded Future - a startup claiming to be able to predict the future – is generating a buzz across the mainstream media. Can this be the killer app everybody has been waiting for?
Australian companies’ payment behaviour reveals unnerving pattern: Is our economy really recovering?
According to the latest trade payments analysis by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), the payment terms of Australian firms have risen for the third consecutive quarter.
PM Kevin Rudd names first 21 projects to be backed by $9.6 million Commercialisation...
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last week named the first 21 Australian ideas to receive Commercialisation Australia support totalling $9.6 million. The first 21 ideas consisted of a diverse range of innovative projects from around the country, including treatments for disease, advanced materials, cutting-edge electronics, new online services, and a host of other innovations in agriculture, the media, manufacturing and beyond.
Solar-Gem named a finalist in 2010 Australian International Design Awards
Solar-Gem, a Sydney-based company that provides affordable off-grid energy solutions based on clean solar power systems, has been named a finalist in the 2010 Australian International Design Awards.
Kirsten Black, Halo Headphones
Kirsten Black started her entrepreneurial career developing her innovative Halo Headphones, which feature specially designed high fidelity speakers that can be inserted into a comfortable headband. If you're sick of headphones dropping out of your ears or the wires flicking on the side of your face, perhaps give this new Australian innovation a try.
Students locked up (again) until they build 6 web startups from scratch
If you find the idea of SxSW's recent Startup Bus intriguing, here’s a similar version closer to home. 30 university students were locked up over a weekend to produce six web-based businesses. The quality of their new web startups were "on par" with those created by professional entrepreneurs.
How to make school kids behave? Give them Wi-Fi!
A recent project in Arizona, USA to install Wifi hotspot on school buses has turn a rowdy bus ride into a "rolling study hall", reports the New York Times. While the Internet is often blamed for causing a whole heap of teenager problems, what's available on the internet seems irrelevant when it comes down to changing their behaviour.
Australian Innovation Festival 2010 gears up for national and state launches
The 2010 Australian Innovation Festival celebrates its ninth anniversary by again focusing on the 4Cs of Innovation -- Creativity, Connections, Collaboration and Commercialisation. This year’s Festival theme “Building Sustainable Businesses” highlights the importance of innovation during this period of regeneration from last year’s global economic uncertainty.
New basin-toilet design combines water saving and aesthetic style
The award winning W+W is an L-shaped single unit toilet sink all-in-one system with a stunning minimalist design. Developed by the Roca Innovation Lab and designed by Gabriele and Oscar Buratti.
Nine Aussies among 25 entrepreneurs creating companies on The Startup Bus travelling from San...
25 entrepreneurs (including nine Aussies) board @TheStartupBus from San Francisco to attend the South by Southwest (SxSW) Conference in Austin. They are to build five businesses from concept to launch over the 48-hour road trip. Their biggest challenge so far is apparently overcoming motion sickness during the trip.
Is it worth pursuing a saturated market? The Clarke vs Malatesta Debate
On Wednesday during the Launch of Napkin Competition at the University of Melbourne, a student audience asked the two speakers “Is it worth pursuing a market where no gap exists and is already saturated by competitors?”
Tenille Bentley, 2009 Anthill 30under30 winner
Tenille Bentley is putting Australia on the map with her impressive philanthropic work. She is the founder of The Greater Good Foundation (GGF), a charity to support women and children affected by domestic violence.
Kane Black, 2009 Anthill 30under30 winner
For three times in his life Kane Black has cracked into markets and industries he knew nearly nothing about. His story is mixed with both dazzling success and catastrophic failure, and each time he has demonstrated the versatility of a swift young entrepreneur.
Fleur Madden-Topley, 2009 Anthill 30under30 winner
Fleur Madden-Topley launched Red PRwhen she was only 23. After six years of hard work she has developed the agency into a force in the industry and a player on the international PR scene.
Jeremy Levitt, 2009 Anthill 30under30 winner
Jeremy Levitt once had a promising career at the international law firm Allens Arthur Robinson. For him, entrepreneurship was just a pipe dream, and it wasn't until the moment he finally shook off the guilt associated with leaving the law firm that the dream had become reality.
Yaro Starak, 2009 Anthill 30under30 winner
With no employees or office space, Yaro Starak makes half a million dollars a year sitting in a café typing on his laptop. He represents a new breed of digital entrepreneurs, one of just a handful of people who make good money from professional blogging.
