University of Melbourne
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Melbourne entrepreneur wins $30k scholarship for SV university program
5:03AM | Wednesday, 8 MayUniversity of Melbourne graduate Zezan Tam will join 79 entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley next month for a 10-week program at Singularity University, after winning a $30,000 scholarship for his carpooling concept. Tam is the creator of cloud-based app Carpooler, designed to make carpooling easy by saving drivers time and money, while helping to reduce congestion and transport-related pollution. Tam is the winner of Singularity University’s Global Impact Competition, which launched in Australia in February. The aim of the competition was to come up with an idea that could positively impact more than one million Australians. As the winner of the competition, Tam will travel to Silicon Valley with a $30,000 scholarship, which will see him attend the 10-week Graduate Studies Program at Singularity University. This university, located in the NASA Ames Research Centre, was founded by a number of well-known personalities including Google co-founder Larry Page, space entrepreneur Robert D. Richards, physician and entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, and inventor Ray Kurzweil. The Graduate Studies Program is designed to inspire and equip leaders who want to build innovative solutions to address global challenges. Tam will be joined by 79 other participants from the around the world. In addition to the program itself, he will be exposed to investors, funding bodies and mentors. He will also receive a scholarship from Singularity University partner Creative Universe, which offers leadership and innovation programs to enhance leadership performance and productivity. Creative Universe will support Tam’s attendance at the Creative Innovation Global conference in November, which gives participants an opportunity to present their vision for the future. Tam told StartupSmart cars are often heavily underutilised, so his plan is to change that. “Cars are wasteful in two ways. You use them for two out of 24 hours a day and you use one out of five seats,” he says. “You think of all the resources that go into building this wonderful piece of engineering, and then it barely gets used to its full potential. “A lot of value can be related to carpooling. The only reason people don’t do it now is because of a lack of coordination.” Tam, who is yet to build the Carpooler technology, has high hopes for the Graduate Studies Program. “Number one is to get my mind blown apart from all this cool stuff out there,” he says. “[I’m also hoping to] use the time out there to get the concept developed and get it funded so I could hire some full-time staff to get it built, then return to Melbourne and keep working on it. “Melbourne is one of the perfect cities because of the urban sprawl here. I would prove the concept here in Melbourne, which would essentially allow me to expand to Sydney and some more American cities.” Tam wasn’t the only entrepreneur recognised by the judges in the Global Impact Competition. Queenslander Mark McConville won second prize with a unique comedy-based entertainment and educational program. He will receive mentorship and support services from the Australian Institute for Commercialisation and the Gold Coast Innovation Centre, worth more than $16,000.
Melbourne insulin innovation set for global rollout
3:16AM | Monday, 11 MarchAustralia’s oldest medical research institute has applauded efforts to turn Melbourne into a biotech hub after making a landmark insulin discovery, set to be commercialised overseas.
Australian start-up StethoCloud snags $75,000 grant from Microsoft
3:12AM | Friday, 15 MarchAn Australian start-up that developed a solution to diagnose childhood pneumonia has won a $75,000 grant after being named the runner-up of the Microsoft Imagine Cup Grants program.
Is your university on the money?
11:33PM | Monday, 26 NovemberIt’s well known that some universities have a heavier focus on entrepreneurship than others. But when it comes to funding prospects for student start-ups, does the university make a difference?
Wollongong seeks to reinvent itself with start-up “Hackagong”
3:52AM | Monday, 11 MarchWollongong is set to join the hackathon trend later this month as part of an ongoing attempt to reinvent the NSW city as a start-up hub.
Melbourne Uni start-up MetaCDN snags $2.3 million investment
3:41AM | Tuesday, 12 MarchMetaCDN, a web start-up born out of the University of Melbourne, has secured $US2.3 million in an investment round led by Australian venture capital firm Starfish Ventures.
Seek co-founder Paul Bassat sets up new private equity venture
3:02AM | Tuesday, 12 MarchSeek co-founder Paul Bassat has flagged his intention to do private equity deals in the media and technology sectors, having already set up an early stage investment fund earlier this year.
Sydney start-up OpenLearning to go up against Coursera
9:16AM | Friday, 28 SeptemberSydney start-up OpenLearning will go up against online education heavyweight Coursera as it prepares to launch a range of free and paid courses, but with a much greater focus on student collaboration.
GE chief urges caution over online courses
9:31AM | Wednesday, 26 SeptemberThe vice president of multinational finance giant GE has raised doubts about the success of online training programs, insisting they can’t replace face-to-face courses.
Queensland Uni to join online course stampede
9:21AM | Monday, 24 SeptemberThe University of Queensland has announced it will offer massive open online courses (MOOCs) in the next two years, following in the footsteps of the University of Melbourne.
Melbourne Uni partners with Coursera to offer free online courses
9:52AM | Thursday, 20 SeptemberThe University of Melbourne will offer seven free online courses after partnering with US company Coursera, with three of the courses covering topics in economics and technology.
StartUp Academy students to get firsthand taste of start-up life
7:02AM | Tuesday, 24 JulyA new start-up program in the United States is aiming to give university students a firsthand taste of life in a start-up, but it’s unknown whether the program will be extended to Australia.
Entrepreneurialism about the team, not a Zuckerberg-type individual: Academic
7:38AM | Friday, 6 JulyAn Australian university professor has offered an in-depth insight into entrepreneurship and its defining factors, including why entrepreneurialism is about the team rather than the individual.
First start-up winners announced for Melbourne Accelerator Program
6:17AM | Thursday, 28 JuneA new accelerator program at the University of Melbourne has announced its first four winners, including an internet venue booking system and a power system for rural and remote areas.
Study outlines four essential elements to YouTube viral success
5:08AM | Monday, 21 MayResearchers at the University of Melbourne identified a formula to understand why some branded YouTube videos go viral, while others fail.
Australia’s innovation performance dubbed “appalling”
5:29AM | Wednesday, 16 MayAustralia’s innovation performance is “appalling” compared to other countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to a former chief scientist.
Demand for business degrees falls 15.4%, report reveals
5:05AM | Monday, 7 MayBusiness degrees are becoming less desirable among Australian students, with research showing applications for management and commerce degrees declined 15.4% over the decade to 2011.
Melbourne students limber up for start-up hackathon
3:51AM | Saturday, 24 MarchUniversity students in Melbourne will have just 48 hours to launch web-based start-ups from scratch this weekend, as part of their participation in Startup Hackathon Melbourne.
Australia’s student start-ups “compare well to Europe”
11:48AM | Thursday, 17 NovemberThe leader of a local student entrepreneurship group has likened Australian student-start-ups to those in Scandinavian countries, claiming there are more similarities than there are differences.
Idea Pitch winners share in $15k prize pool
11:18AM | Wednesday, 16 NovemberStudent Entrepreneurs has unveiled the 2011 winners of its Idea Pitch competition, which saw 20 student start-ups from Victorian universities compete for prizes worth more than $15,000.
