Australia's first digital startup festival for international students arrives

State Library Victoria’s StartSpace has teamed up with Study Melbourne and some of the world’s leading business entrepreneurs to launch Future Founders Festival, Australia’s first digital startup festival for international students.

Running from 23–27 September 2020, the free online event will arm participants with the knowledge, skills and networks they need to overcome the major barriers to starting a business in Australia. 

Students will connect with likeminded innovators through a series of expert-led workshops, panel discussions and networking events. 

There will also be a pitch competition and 48-hour hackathon, with a total of $6,000 in seed funding, plus a six-month loft membership at StartSpace, to be won for the best ideas.

More than 30 business founders from around the world will speak at the event, including Liven co-founder Grace Wong, Brosa co-founder Ivan Lim, GoJek director Kiranjeet Purba, Catalysr founder and 2018 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year Usman Iftikhar and many more.

Future Founders Festival comes at a time when many of Melbourne’s 200,000 international students are struggling due to the effects of COVID-19.

StartSpace Community Lead, Aun Ngo, has been championing international students and Melbourne’s startup community for many years. He says this first-of-a-kind-festival responds to the cohort’s unique needs.

“StartSpace was founded on the pillars of inclusion and diversity in Melbourne’s early-stage business sector, and aims to help entrepreneurs from a range of backgrounds get the confidence, connections and support they need to bring their business idea to life. We’re proud to be doing this with Future Founders Festival,” said Ngo.

“Being an international student can be isolating at the best of times – and the impact of COVID-19 has only amplified this. Many students have little support, are far away from family and friends, and are missing the usual interaction that comes with attending university. 

We hope this festival will be an opportunity for them to connect with their peers and feel empowered to explore entrepreneurship and grow an idea from the ground up.”

“International students face unique obstacles when trying to start a business in Australia, including cultural and language barriers, smaller networks, difficulty obtaining visas and access to funding. Future Founders Festival allows them to hear from other people who have been in their shoes and found success.”

The festival will include various interactive workshops, networking sessions and speaker interviews including the How Not to Start a Startup masterclass, Female Founders Forum and Decoding Career Paths in the Tech and Startup World panel discussions and a Design Thinking 101 for Startups workshop.

Entry is free, but participants must register their attendance via the Future Founders Festival website. To register and for more information, including the full speaker list and schedule, visit https://startspacehq.com/futurefounders/.