StartupSmart.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThe objective of the plan is from that point of view spot on.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, he says there needs to be more clarity on what actions will be taken to actually achieve this.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is good to help increase the visibility of entrepreneurs to investors, but more needs to be done, and I would hope that as a significant Australian actor, City of Sydney can actively influence federal discussions related to taxes and economic conditions for startups,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Facilitating market entry<\/h3>\n
Developing access to markets for tech entrepreneurs by encouraging consumers to try their products or services is another key focus area in the plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe actions proposed are very interesting, including encouraging startups to become suppliers to the city,\u201d Ibos says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would assume that this means City of Sydney simplifying their procurement process and decisions and getting rid of some of the existing red tape. This wouldn’t only be good news for startups, it would also benefit the entire community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The issue of diversity<\/h3>\n
While the plan does highlight that there is an obvious diversity problem in the tech sector that needs to be acknowledged, Ibos says it lacks concrete action on the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs part of the creation of a strong eco-system, it is mentioned that programs of support and mentorship will be created, targeted at entrepreneurs and particularly women,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is also mentioned that the city will commit to a female representation of 50% in its programs or sponsored activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is good, but it is about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opening the gateway for greater diversity in tech startups would require the commitment of the community as a whole, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cCity of Sydney can bear a primary evangelistic, educational role and could also for instance create a networking forum centered around women in tech, where opportunities could be presented to those women who wish to join the tech startup world,\u201d Ibos says.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking at longer terms actions, I am a strong believer that more needs to be done in high schools and universities to put an end to a completely erroneous and dated mentality that drives women away from tech.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery early in the education curriculums do we need to advertise tech and make it absolutely normal and attractive for women to choose a tech-oriented education.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the only way to reach a stage where we will have gender balance in the tech innovation world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Follow StartupSmart on<\/em> Facebook,<\/em> Twitter, <\/em>LinkedIn <\/em>and <\/em>SoundCloud.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just a week after startups were “missing in action” in the NSW budget, the City of Sydney has revealed its<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45046"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}