Business builders, founders, investors, industry and future leaders will come together for the next five days as part of START/UP Week 2022, powered by the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA).
In celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, and for the first time since 2017, Australia’s leading innovation festival _SOUTHSTART will host 23 events, taking on topics such as e-commerce, investment and accelerating commercialisation.
The calendar of events will be a combination of conversations, launches, meets, masterclasses, dinners, hikes and more, with START/UP Week aiming to inspire, provoke debate and shine a light on the future of technology, collaboration and innovation in Adelaide.
AEDA Managing Director Ian Hill says that START/UP Week will help gain further industry insights and local knowledge into the challenges and opportunities startups face in South Australia.
"We are proud to be presenting a unique opportunity for the Adelaide startup community to come
together, share knowledge and grow. Startups are an important part of our city's eco-system and we're excited to support _SOUTHSTART through AEDA's Strategic Partnership Program," Mr Hill says.
“START/UP Week is about leveraging CBD investment in our innovation assets and exploring even more ways to drive greater economic benefit for Adelaide and those who choose to do business here.”
Danielle Seymour, _SOUTHSTART Co-Director believes one of the program highlights is the
_SOUTHSTART Community Celebration, which will set the scene for the upcoming release of the
_SOUTHSTART 2023 Festival Program.
“Starting and scaling a company, with the intention to deliver a deep and lasting impact on our planet, is no simple feat. The tenacity, grit and long-term vision that makes or breaks a unicorn company (>$1B valuation), requires ongoing support and deep mobility across sectors, networks and borders," Ms Seymour says.
"Our aim is to bring awareness to the importance of community in this process.
“The celebration will allow us to bring light to the intangible foundations upon which startups thrive”
Chair of Global Entrepreneurs Network Australia and _SOUTHSTART Community Celebration special guest, Julia Spicer OAM says: “I’m really looking forward to participating in START/UP Week across a series of key events. Adelaide is well known for their innovation and active startup community as well as the way they work together.”
“_SOUTHSTART’s Community Celebration presents a great opportunity to connect and explore where we have been and where we are going.”
Richard Turner, author of The Essential Entrepreneur will officially launch his book as part of START/UP Week, featuring a panel discussion sharing firsthand how to best navigate the startup journey, sharing success and failure.
_SOUTHSTART Co-Director Craig Swann says: “More than a celebration, this will be an insight fuelled book launch bringing together some of Adelaide’s leading entrepreneurs, including Matt Pearson from Fleet Space, Tobi Pearce from SWEAT, Kirsten Bernhardt from Artesian Ventures and of course The Essential Entrepreneur, Richard Turner.”
“It is an incredible opportunity for our community to learn and hear these stories from those who have paved the way for our innovation ecosystem. _SOUTHSTART encourages anyone who is thinking about joining the program to do it, we welcome everyone.”
Event partners have jumped on board to support START/UP Week including: Adelaide Connected,
AusCyber, AWS, Collab4Good, Adelaide FinTech Meetup, Flinders New Venture Institute, Early Work Ventures, GOOD Product, HEX, i4 Connect, Innovation & Collaboration Centre, KPMG, Ladies Finance Club, Lightning Products, RAA, SA Water, SeventeenX, Social Traders, Startup SA, Stone & Chalk, South Australian Venture Capital Fund, Swarmer, Polaris Centre, The Government of South Australia, Thinclab, Tic:Toc & Workforce Blueprint.
See the program here.