Events

Startup Victoria and Rampersand VC introduce The Secret Pitch - a fair go for all founders. We want to identify the state's most promising diverse founders and give them the opportunity to pitch in front of a panel of expert investors... ... But there's a twist! The identity of the founders will be obscured from the judges - just like The Voice Blind auditions, pre-conceived notions around gender, ethnicity, background, physical ability will be removed so judges focus exclusively on the content. The vast majority of VC funding globally goes to white, heterosexual, male founders. While research suggests Victoria is better than average, there are significant cohorts of founders underfunded which leaves a major gap in the ecosystem. This event will kick start a year-long program at Rampersand VC to enhance inclusion and diversity across the Australian landscape and we want the entire ecosystem to get involved.

The Duke of York founded Pitch@Palace in 2014 to provide a platform to amplify and accelerate the work of Entrepreneurs. Pitch@Palace gives Entrepreneurs the opportunity to meet the people who can help make their business dreams become a reality. Pitch@Palace guides, helps and connects Entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses with potential supporters, including CEOs, Influencers, Angels, Mentors and Business Partners. The aim is to: Create introductions to Mentors and Advisors; Through our Audiences, provide access to Distribution Systems and Supply Chains; Make Connections; and Help with Investment It costs nothing for Entrepreneurs to apply. 42 Entrepreneurs are selected for each event and, following participation, remain within the Pitch@Palace constellation for future support and development. Alumni Entrepreneurs continue to receive ongoing support, introductions and connections to the Pitch@Palace UK and Global network. The winning teams from the Melbourne event will also be awarded travel support to attend the Boot Camp and Pitch@Palace Australia Final event in Perth. Applications close Friday 30th August, 2019.

Overwhelmed with all the potential options and having a hard time differentiating between hype and solid growth strategies? Should you do SEO? Facebook ads? What about social media and social selling? Should you just forget about all this digital stuff and get a TV ad? It’s overwhelming, we know. That’s why we have a panel of founders who’ve already braved the journey and made multiple mistakes while establishing successful international franchisees, raising millions of dollars and creating multiple successful startups. And they’re going to share all that learning in our next event. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel and as a result, make the same mistakes. Sign up for this event. Here’s why this will be one of the most profitable evenings of your year: 👉🏾 Here’s what You’ll Learn 👈🏼 - Mistakes to avoid when growing your business - Who should be your first two hires for systematic growth - Identify what should be the new areas of marketing you should focus on in your business today 👉🏾 Who should attend 👈🏼 - Directors and CEOs uncertain of which step to take next to grow their business - Marketers looking for ways to hack growth - Business owners and entrepreneurs - Founders looking to launch their business - We guarantee it’s going to be time well spent 🎙Who are the speakers: Aaron Smith Founder of KX Pilates, Aaron Smith, is an award-winning fitness innovator and entrepreneur. Based on the Japanese concept of kaizen (continuous improvement), KX Pilates is a dynamic workout that has transformed both fitness participants and the business at large, which in less than a decade took Smith from $20K in the red to a 55-studio international franchise turning over $20 million per annum. As the founder of KX Pilates , Aaron has earnt multiple awards including, Service Business of the Year at the 2014 Australian Startup Awards, multiple SmartCompany Smart50 recognitions and finalist for Best Small Business of the Year at the My Business Awards to individual recognition, including being named a Man of Influence by Men’s Style magazine and shortlisted as a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Australian Startup Awards. In 2017 Aaron won the Australian Next Generation of Franchising Competition and in March 2019 he was recognised as one of Australia’s Top 30 Franchise Executives. Fiona Boyd Fiona is passionate about using technology to empower relationships and the greater good. She began her career as a broadcaster with ABC Radio and finds human beings and the human story infinitely interesting. For the last decade she’s specialised in creating and leading successful businesses online that serve communities by solving big problems. As founder and CEO of EdSmart Fiona is dedicated to helping educators, parents and students worldwide by reducing costs, reducing risk and getting paperwork out of the way to save huge amounts of time that can be reinvested back into human connections. Taking school administration digital is not just a passion for Fiona, it’s a mission.
 Fiona’s previous successful online businesses include Arts Hub, Screen Hub and REmessenger. Omer Molad Omer is the co-founder and CEO of Vervoe, an AI-powered skill testing platform that helps companies hire the very best by focusing on who can do the job, not who looks good on paper. Vervoe uses machine learning to create tailored skills assessments that are instantly auto-gradable, allowing companies to test candidates for any skill, and automatically grade their responses at any scale. Shahin Hoda Shahin is the Founder of xGrowth, an agency helping B2B technology firms build and maintain predictable, revenue-focused growth engines. Shahin and his team work with brands like VicRoads, Byte and Village Roadshow, maximising their marketing efforts with great results When: Thursday 25 July Where: Academy Xi Melbourne - Level 3, 45 Exhibition St, Melbourne VIC 3000 Agenda: 6:00pm - 6:30pm: Arrival and Networking 6:30pm - 7:30pm: Panel Discussion 7:30pm - 7:45pm: Q&A 7:45pm onwards: Networking Please note we might share registration data with our event partner Academy Xi. If you would rather we didn’t please let us know.

One Roof and The Fashion Advocate have teamed up to remind you, YOU GOT THIS! YOU GOT THIS is an event about getting real, being open and honest, and reminding our fellow females in business that what you’re experiencing – is perfectly ‘normal’. We’re opening a can of worms on the reality of being a #bosslady in charge of an innovative business. Sheree Rubinstein will share what it’s really like to run Australia’s first female-founded co-working space for female-led businesses, One Roof, and how she handles the pressure and the workload. As a leadership coach and certified facilitator of Brené Brown's work, Rebecca Hopkins will be sharing all things ‘emotion’, opening up about her own experiences being vulnerable in business, coping with guilt, and how to overcome it. Emma Inteman will share what it’s like to launch a social commerce platform that has three separate user groups all with different value propositions, and what's involved in getting to market, gaining initial traction and how she's slowly building a community with her business, ShopShare.TV. Kate Williams will weigh in on the importance of wellness and how she finds time to be healthy and mindful herself, amidst her myriad of daily to-do’s running Retreat Yourself Box. And, Claire Goldsworthy, founder of The Fashion Advocate, will chair our panel, asking the questions everyone else is too afraid to, and she'll also be sharing her own start-up experience. We’ll talk about growth, money, stress, health, success, happiness, to-do lists, and what we all do to stay sane. We’ll talk about the concept of work/life balance and if it really exists. We’ll share what it’s really like to tackle the to-do lists of seven women as a one-woman band in the beginning, and we’ll inspire our fellow females to navigate growth, change and challenges in business – because we’re all doing it together. We’ll share our been-there-done-that tips to help you with your own business journey, and we’ll enjoy a few wines and giggles while mingling together at One Roof. This is a no-fluff, no-nonsense event to remind you, YOU GOT THIS!

This five-day event is designed to support everyday people to build and grow your own start-up or small business. Prepare to get your bright idea off the ground, step by step, at this essential business week program. There are no guarantees in business, but regularly it’s what you do before you start or launch a business that will ensure the best chances of business success. You will come away armed with practical tools and resources; expert tips and advice and a head start on where to access the right support to grow your business. Starting on Monday 22 July through to Friday 26 July from 9am – 5pm each day. Access $950 worth of business support for just $150. What’s included; • Opening Fireside chat with a group of entrepreneurs who have experienced the journey • 5 x Coworking Day Passes to get work done in a professional environment during the week • 5 x Masterclasses • 1 x Entrepreneur in Residence 1-on-1 session • 1 x Expert in Residence 1-on-1 session • 1 x Community Lunch and Learn • Winedown community drinks Day to Day Masterclass schedule: • Monday 22 July: Masterclass #1 – Kickstarting Your Business • Tuesday 23 July: Masterclass #2 – Understanding your Customers • Wednesday 24 July: Masterclass #3 – The Nuts & Bolts of your Business Structure + #StartWest Festival • Thursday 25 July: Masterclass #4 – Developing Your Business Growth Strategy and Value Proposition • Friday 26 July: Masterclass #5 – Legal Matters & Bring It All Together If you are an early stage startup founder or existing small business owner looking for guidance and direction and a community of like-minded people, this is for you! This program is made possible thanks to the generous support of Venture Melton.

Over four evenings of celebration, Our Community House is hosting a series of intimate events to hear from B-corps leading the way in making the world a better place. Each night a selection of four B-corps will present on the week’s theme, concluding with a panel discussion and Q&A. Event Structure • 5.30pm – Welcome + Food, Drinks, Meeting each other • 6.00pm – Introduction from Our Community House • 6.15pm – Presentations (4 x 10 min) • 7.00pm – Hosted Panel Conversation + Q&A • 7.30pm – Thank you + Food, Drinks, Meeting each other • 8.00pm – Event Ends Join to hear from pioneers leading the way and meet fellow B Corps as we strengthen the community and it's ability to push for change in a world that needs it.