Regional Qld women London-bound on startup mission
17 October 2017
The Palaszczuk Government has announced the five successful regional Queensland women it will be supporting on a startup mission in London from 26 November to 2 December 2017.
Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch said today (Tuesday) Cairns’ Jannah Dryden, Megan Avard from Pimpama, Rockhampton’s Bronwyn Fenech, Ipswich’s Anne-Marie Walton and Bronwyn Buksh from Peregian Beach have been chosen for the Advance Queensland Female Founders Mission.
Ms Enoch said the women will meet with several startup accelerators, visit co-working spaces and gain insights into the European market, the investment climate, and the opportunities available.
“London is the home to hundreds of global corporates and has over 70 startup accelerators and tech hubs, as well as a high number of female startup community leaders and program managers – and having an opportunity to meet some of these people will prove fruitful for our regional female founders,” Ms Enoch said.
“They will rub shoulders with other like-minded women who have established themselves and invested in successful startups, and no doubt they will return with strategies to bolster their businesses back home.”
The successful regional participants will each receive $5500 under the Palaszczuk Government’s Advance Queensland initiative to fund the Startup Catalyst mission. This covers six nights’ accommodation, breakfasts and organised tours and meetings.
The Startup Catalyst London mission will be led by River City Labs CEO Peta Ellis, and the delegation will comprise Queensland founders, investors and corporate and policy decision makers. It continues the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to the regions, which includes the $6 million Advancing Regional Innovation Program providing up to $500,000 over three years to support 12 local economies and create jobs for regional Queenslanders.
Jannah Dryden, who founded Album Registry, an online gift registry platform for professional photographers who provide photographic print products/services for their clients, has her sights set on international expansion - but admits dealing with different currencies is daunting.
“This mission is a great opportunity for me to plug into potential mentors and a network of businesses dealing in European markets,” Ms Dryden said.
“I’ll be meeting and mixing with inspirational people who can explain the barriers and issues around distribution and how to securely handle multiple European currencies, and I could even attract investors.”
Megan Avard, who founded software development company SurePact, providing contract and procurement analytics and risk identification solutions to governments/businesses, said she was thrilled to be included in the London mission.