{"id":46932,"date":"2023-10-20T15:51:49","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/australias-first-indigenous-startup-weekend-aims-to-help-close-the-gap-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:51:49","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:51:49","slug":"australias-first-indigenous-startup-weekend-aims-to-help-close-the-gap-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/australias-first-indigenous-startup-weekend-aims-to-help-close-the-gap-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia’s first Indigenous Startup Weekend aims to help close the gap – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dean<\/div>\n

Australia\u2019s first ever Indigenous Startup Weekend will be hosted in Brisbane this July, with hopes of increasing Indigenous entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

The weekend also aims to develop ways to close the employment gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.<\/p>\n

The weekend has been organised by Dean Foley, a business student and Kamilaroi man who grew up in the Aboriginal community in Gunnedah, NSW.<\/p>\n

Foley\u2019s says he\u2019s passionate about building wealth in Aboriginal communities and providing more employment opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI read a book \u2013 \u2018Rich Dad Poor Dad\u2019 by Robert Kiyosaki – and it made me think about the possibilities for myself and for the community,\u201d Foley tells StartupSmart<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll these things could be happening that aren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

An idea<\/h3>\n

In 2014, Foley left his position in the Air Force and began to study business.<\/p>\n

At the 2016 Health Startup Weekend, his team was awarded the Best Validation award for their Indigenous mental health app.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the weekend, I was wondering \u2018why hasn\u2019t anyone focused on Indigenous entrepreneurship?\u2019\u201d Foley says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew the Indigenous community could really benefit from learning these skills, so I formed a team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wasting no time, Foley got to work, and a few months later, the Indigenous Startup Weekend was born.<\/p>\n

Foley is excited to see what comes out of the weekend, but says he\u2019s \u201cnot looking for the next Facebook\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is all about promoting entrepreneurial development in Indigenous communities,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really looking to foster economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foley says he hopes the event will inspire a \u201cripple effect\u201d to take place across the communities and inspire further growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndigenous businesses are 100 times more likely to employ indigenous people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The weekend itself will operate much like a standard hackathon, and Friday night\u2019s introduction will include a Welcome to Country and a traditional Aboriginal dance performance.<\/p>\n

The teams will spend two days working on their ideas, and then pitch them to a judging panel on the Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The event judges include businessman Michael McLeod, and RedEye co-founder Wayne Gerard.<\/p>\n

McLeod also operates Message Stick, a company that seeks to prove Indigenous Australians can be worthy government and corporation business partners.<\/p>\n

Foley is seeking two more members for the judge panel, alongside a large selection of mentors lined up to help the teams.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also looking for more corporate sponsorship, having lined up some prizes from Microsoft and support from professional services firm Ernst and Young.<\/p>\n

Closing the gap<\/h3>\n

In 2008 the Council of Australian Governments pledged to close the gap on Indigenous employment outcomes, among other things.<\/p>\n

The goal was to halve the gap over 10 years, but Foley says things are getting worse, not better.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve spent millions and millions on programs that aren\u2019t getting real outcomes,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cEmployment rates have actually decreased, they were 53.8% in 2008, and in 2012-13 it was 47.5%.\u201d<\/p>\n

Foley says he\u2019s taking it into his own hands with this Startup Weekend, hoping to empower more Indigenous people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to give them more economic independence and make employment more sustainable,\u201d Foley says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want real outcomes at the end of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow StartupSmart on<\/em> Facebook,<\/em> Twitter,<\/em>LinkedIn <\/em>and <\/em>SoundCloud.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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