Before I attended the recent Lightning Conference called to discuss Victoria’s #StartUpFuture, I jotted down I few rough ideas to take with me on the day. They need more work if anyone is interested in contributing to them:

1. Register of Tools & Ideas (not a job bulletin board)

• what projects/initiatives are people working on (might be a piece of IP that hasn’t gone anywhere?)
• what solutions are people looking for
• what help do people want/can offer
• curated matching

2. Foster collaboration & co-creation

• from which innovation & entrepreneurship will emerge
• connecting suppliers – build solutions collectively

3. The (re-)start-up of me

• we are all micro businesses
• by 2020 – 40% of workers will be “casual”
• need for training/upskilling workers
• paid periods of study leave for SMEs (use long-service leave to kickstart your idea?)

4. A quota of government tenders and projects have to go to SMEs or startups

• Gives startups better access to opportunities
• Enables government to get early access to new ideas
• Would foster more startup activity designed to help the public sector

5. Innovation & Entrepreneur Fairs – Trade Shows (Regular Road Shows?)

• to address social/community/economic initiatives
• what are the priorities for next 5 years (Private, Public, Social)
• who wants to contribute and how
• mini-consortia to bid on projects
• outcome focus – R&D plans, simplified contracts, tax breaks, rates holidays
• hiring new/old workers (1:1) “Your Idea, My Experience”

6. Pre-screening platform – how to be discovered and to find projects?

• register of experts (ADB model)
• register of “inventions”
• screening process:
  • inventors submit ideas/proposals
    • where do they need help
    • what do they need validating
    • who would they like to work with
    • what type of clients (ideal customer)?
  • panel of experts review proposal (anonymously)
  • rate/rank ideas on key criteria (free)
  • risk/reward rating (scores get published, teams can bid on projects)
  • offer to help (remuneration)
  • make introductions (fee)
• collective access to the IP value created
• connect people with similar ideas – 2 heads better than 1

7. Startup Kit/User Guide

• “what would you have liked to have known before you started your business?”

8. Intrapreneurship – “Intel Inside”

• small ideas within large organisation
• ring-fence new initiatives but back with resources and relevant skills
• try before you buy – see how both sides feel about the other
• focus on incremental & continuous improvement & sustainability
• opportunity to license the IP

9. Education program (primary & secondary)

• use existing channels like LMS/content platforms
• code.org
• KidsLogic.net

10. Funding

• model where banks, instos & corporates use part of their marketing budgets to “invest” in or back new ideas
• not an equity model, or a loan, and separate to R&D tax breaks
• benefits to “investors”:
  • right of first refusal over products/services
  • branding or naming rights
  • goodwill in wider community
  • R&D at low-cost
• benefits to “borrower”
  • tax-free income
  • partnership
  • leg up