The Role of the Team Mentor
The role of a team mentor is to provide a fresh and ‘outsider’ perspective to an individual team’s new venture and business plan. Mentors and team’s will be matched together prior to the competition and are encouraged to make contact remotely (via phone/ email). The allocation of mentors to teams will be announced in September, allowing ample time for mentors to review business plans prior to the submission date and provide feedback to their team.
Teams are encouraged to send their business plan to mentors for feedback prior to submission. It is also encouraged that teams engage with their mentors on at least three occasions prior to the competition.
Most, if not all mentors will be based in Melbourne, making personal contact difficult for interstate teams. In order to eliminate any unfair advantage, it is asked that all contact between mentors and teams prior to the competition is carried out remotely. Teams and Mentors will have the opportunity to meet in person at the Meet & Greet Breakfast- the official opening of the competition (further details below). Private practice sessions will directly follow the Meet & Greet Breakfast.
Mentors are invited to attend all aspects of the competition, and to host their team’s table at the Awards Dinner on Friday 11 December.
If you are interested in becoming a Team Mentor, please contact Julie-Anne Sully ja.sully@qut.edu.au. Please include a short CV or biography outlining your expertise.
Meet & Greet Breakfast
Thursday 10 December
8.30 – 9.30am
Swinburne University of Technology, AGSE Building, Hawthorne Campus
Attendees: Competitors, Academic Advisors, Team Mentors
Format: Stand Up Continental Buffet Breakfast
The Meet & Greet Breakfast is an opportunity for competitors to meet one another in an informal setting prior to the competition heats. At this event each team will also ‘meet’ their mentor in person for the first time. During a private session following the breakfast teams will have the opportunity to rehearse their pitch and receive some final feedback from their mentor. It is strongly recommended that all teams attend this event. The heat presentation order will also be announced at this event.
Draft Format for the event (subject to change)
8.30am Teams Arrive & Collect Registration Packs
9.15am Official Welcome from Competition Director
9.20am Teams and mentors are ‘introduced’ & heat presentation order is announced
9.30am Teams and mentors depart for practice rooms
11.00am Competition heats begin
2009 Team Mentors
Jenny Barbour
Director, Jenny Barbour & Associate I.T. Recruitment
Team- Victoria University
Jenny Barbour, founder and director of Jenny Barbour & Associates, is realising her vision of raising the benchmark for IT recruitment within Australia. Her dynamic, consultative management style has attracted and retained expert staff, IT contractors, candidates and blue chip companies. Jenny's 20 years of IT industry experience has encompassed Resource Management, Resource Solutions and IT recruitment. Her decision in 1998 to start a company specialising in IT recruitment was driven by a passion to address an increasing market problem – ‘the cost of Human Capital’, particularly, ‘the cost of getting IT wrong.’ Jenny Barbour’s ability to consistently ‘get IT right’ drives her business success.
David Bennett
Founder and Managing Director, POWERflex Corporation
Team- Bond University
David is the Founder and MD of Powerflex Corporation, a mature software product company. He is a member of Melbourne Angels and an experienced Angel Investor with eight different investments. David specialises in IT and related high-growth businesses, at early stages of revenue generation.
Paul Breen
Business Coach & Investor
Team- Australian National University
Paul Breen is a retail entrepreneur and the originator of “pop-up” retailing in Australian and New Zealand. In 1995, he founded the 170 store seasonal retail chain, Calendar Club, and sold it in 2003. He was also a co-owner of an electronic payments which grew from start up to sales of $400m at the time of exit. Nowadays, Paul spends his time as a business advisor, coach and board director who works with small and large companies across several industries. He currently has interests in two emerging entrepreneurial companies.
Dr Wolfgang Kissel
Owner, Competitive Impact
Team- Swinburne University of Technology (shared with George Purvis)
Wolfgang has over 25 years of experience in life science industries and research including responsibilities with leading organisations such as Boehringer Mannheim, Roche Diagnostics and Valeant Pharmaceuticals. In his executive roles he has led companywide change processes, facilitated the integration of merging organisations and managed all people issues in the divestment of 9 factories in different countries. Wolfgang is experienced in driving organizational effectiveness and he is a strategic thinker who puts strategy into action. He has an outstanding competence in leading people and teams in sensitive and delicate and an in depth experience in stakeholder management. Wolfgang is currently the owner of Competitive Impact (www.competitiveimpact.com.au) focusing on consulting and coaching to build competitive advantages for companies and people.
Marco Marcou
Partner, MAP Venture Partners
Team- Monash University
Marco is a Director and founder of MAP Venture Partners and has over 25 year’s managerial, consulting and advisory experience in Australia, the USA and Asia. Marco’s domain expertise is in the areas of telecommunications, information technology and broadcasting. At MAP, Marco manages a number of investments and provides corporate, capital raising and commercialisation services to a portfolio of early and expansion stage companies.
George Purvis
Melbourne Angels
Team- Swinburne University of Technology (shared with Dr Wolfgang Kissel)
George has a career background in accounting and finance, management, leadership, project management and project implementation. This is underpinned by advanced business studies and has provided the backdrop to project and line management engagements in the commercial sector.
Graydon C.Smith
Australian Government
Team- RMIT University
Graydon manages the Australian Government's venture capital programs, specifically the Innovation Investment, the Pre-Seed, and the Renewable Energy Equity Funds. All are competitive entry and merit based grant initiatives. These programs commercialise Australian research through technology companies at the seed, start-up or early growth stages. After a career in the electrical and electronics industries, Graydon moved to Canberra and has a Master of Public Policy from ANU (Industry Specialisation with Merit).
Graeme Thomson
CEO, Avaxa Pty Ltd
Team- The University of the Sunshine Coast
As a Principal Consultant and CEO for Avaxa, Graeme provides specialist consultancy in many areas. With a focus in business solutions, enterprise application design and implementation, software development and integration Graeme provides particular expertise in eCommerce and distributed systems environments. Graeme has several decades of experience delivering business solutions to government and commercial enterprises in Australia and internationally.
Shawn Uldridge
Head Equities Strategist, William Shaw Securities
Team- Griffith University
Shawn graduated from the University of Queensland in June of 2001 with a Bachelor of Business Management majoring in entrepreneurship. He founded the Spicy Tomato Tour Company in Brisbane in 2000, and has since joined the finance sector, founding William Shaw Securities in April 2006. Shawn believes that to win in business, a sense of flexibility and utter perseverance will get you there in the end.
Dr David Urpani
Entrepreneur, Business Advisor & Investor, Melbourne Angels
Team- QUT
David has recently exited from a business he co-founded, iSelect, that has become a household name in the household financial services space. He currently consults to and mentors various start-up and up-start businesses in the areas of strategy, technology and business growth. David is also a Director on the board of Swinburne Ventures.
Dr Linda Wilkins
Consultant and Educational Designer
Team - The University of Adelaide
Linda Wilkins was Educational Designer for the School of Business Information Technology at RMIT University 2006-2008 (http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=tmvigtugw4t7). She has published and presented widely on the strategic implications of E-Business integration for organizational practice and systems. Her doctoral thesis applied economic theory to investigate issues affecting uptake of innovative technology in the Australian food industry. Linda has contributed to a number of government reports, commissioned book chapters, journal articles and encyclopaedias on the creation and diffusion of E-Business models. Linda has undertaken research projects and consultancies with a range of business and public sector bodies seeking to improve or document their use of innovative online technology applications. Linda was project manager for the multi- disciplinary Telstra Home Team, winner of the (BHERT) national award for successful interaction between research and industry.