Startup culture flourishing at RMIT University

Startup culture flourishing at RMIT University

What do an app for professional vehicle maintenance, a platform to customise skincare routines, and a personalised dietary service all have in common?

These three concepts were the winning pitches in RMIT’s Future Founders Competition 2020, which saw 25 student teams from across the University showcase their best startup ideas.

news-1-startup-culture-flourishing-at-rmit-university Mì Tôm team, the champion of the Future Founders Competition 2020, with the board of judges in the final round.

It’s no secret that RMIT University has a history of nurturing entrepreneurship and innovation within its community.

Launched last year, this latest startup competition is run by incubator program RMIT Activator and welcomes students of all academic disciplines.

From healthcare and fashion to product packaging and card games, the ideas submitted to the competition this year were as diverse as the student teams who came up with them.

Over the course of five weeks, the contestants were able to refine their ideas through a variety of upskilling workshops, mentoring sessions with industry experts, and online tools. Thirteen shortlisted teams got the chance to pitch their ideas live in front of an audience in the final round.

Director of RMIT Activator Matt Salier described the competition as “a great opportunity for personal and professional development through exercising future skills such as creative problem solving and human-centred ideation”.

“The students are encouraged to produce outcomes that are driven by passion and purpose, while marking a milestone in their educational journey,” Mr Salier said.

He added that many of the participants have gone on to build relationships with potential investors, or broaden their skills by competing in other national and international competitions.

news-2-startup-culture-flourishing-at-rmit-university Participating teams were mentored by experienced industry experts to develop their startup ideas further.

Last year, Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management student Nguyen Quang Hong Phuc and her team won the People’s Choice award at the inaugural Future Founders Competition for a travelling app concept. She said the experience motivated her to enter three more competitions, each time with a different business idea.

“RMIT Activator was truly my stepping stone into the world of startups,” Phuc said. “What I have found most valuable is the chance to network with established businesses, and also learn from my fellow students whose creativity and passion fuel my own.”

Co-founder and CEO of InnoLab Asia and seasoned startup mentor Huynh Cong Thang was a judge in the final round of this year’s Future Founders Competition. He was impressed by the students’ sharp minds and out-of-the-box thinking ability when faced with tough questions by the judges.

“The confidence and energy that the students brought to the final round were magnificent. They make me feel proud and hopeful for the future of entrepreneurship in Vietnam,” Mr Thang said.

Going beyond student competitions

Earlier this year, RMIT Activator ran a 12-week startup accelerator program, LaunchHUB, simultaneously in both Australia and Vietnam via digital platforms.

Open to RMIT students, alumni, staff and their external co-founders, LaunchHUB welcomed more advanced startup ideas that had been market-tested and were ready to move to the next level.

Boardgame startup Ngu Hanh Games, a business launched by two RMIT Vietnam alumni, had already found some market success before joining the LaunchHUB program. They used the program to develop their concepts further.

Also joining the program was Refill Day, an idea initiated by an RMIT lecturer, that proposed the use of mobile refill stations for household and personal care products in order to reduce plastic waste. The project recently secured a distribution partnership with a major international consumer goods brand.

Next, RMIT Activator will introduce a new six-week program called Founder School aimed at providing students with an introduction into entrepreneurship.

news-3-startup-culture-flourishing-at-rmit-university Ngu Hanh Games founders and RMIT alumni Nguyen Thien Toan and Tran Ngoc Tue Man (pictured second and third from left) with LaunchHUB coordinators from RMIT Activator.

A long-time supporter of entrepreneurship initiatives at RMIT, Dean of the School of Business & Management Professor Mathews Nkhoma said:

“RMIT has made a strategic effort to create an entrepreneurial university culture for years. But it is in the past couple of years that we have seen a surge of great ideas coming from programs like Future Founders Competition and LaunchHUB.

“Getting students ready for life and work is part of our mission. It is an even bigger success for us to see our students go on to create jobs and businesses of their own,” Professor Nkhoma said.

Story: Ngoc Hoang

01 October 2020

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