National startup magazine StartupSmart has run a feature on the Tasmanian startup ecosystem in its latest edition.

Startup Tasmania's James Riggall was interviewed for the piece, and he spoke of the recent Muru-D visit, the presentation by Blue Chilli's Seb Eckersley-Maslin - an expat Taswegian who is a legendary entrepreneur.

Riggall also foreshadowed The Tasmanian state government support for a “go-to-market incubator” to support Tasmanian startups to commercialise their technology. However, what exactly that incubator might entail is still unknown.

“The government is doing what it can for startups, but there really needs to be the community groundswell, the energy needs to come from the community,” Riggall says.

Read the full article here.

Much has been going on in the world of startups in Tasmania, and Startup Tasmania is proud to be initiating and supporting many of these exciting and inspiring events.

In this edition we provide a head's up on some not-to-be-missed events and a roundup of the highlights. 

To stay up to date with Startup Tasmania happenings, check out the events page, the blog and the meetup group for all the details, industry insights and general hubub!

This month we're doing something a little different; we're combining with the Reactivate Launceston group to focus on local innovation. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/654787541256139/ 

The good folks at TasICT have pulled together a fantastic program for their annual conference this year, with a number of sessions focusing on tech startups, which we're sure will be of interest to Startup Tasmania members.

The conference this year is headlined by Eric Grab, the CTO of DivX and Andrew Walduck, the CIO of Australia Post.

Attendees will also hear from Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin, the CEO of BlueChilli, which promises to be a great talk for Startup Tasmania members to check in on.

We’d also encourage you to check out the Ausindustry “Starting-Up in Tassie Panel”, which includes a group of experienced and successful professionals who have started businesses in Tasmania and grown them to scale.  If you’ve wanted to talk to people who’ve not only started businesses, but have done so in Tasmania, then this session will be well worth a look.

TasICT have also made 20 free tickets available for Startup Tasmania members!  If you’re not yet a member of Startup Tasmania, but you’d like to join and take advantage of the TasICT ticket offer, jump on by our join page and sign up!

You can buy tickets for the 2014 TasICT Conference here

Women Entrepreneurs Launch Event!

Are you starting a new business and looking for help, information and networking opportunities? Are you an existing business looking for support and inspiration?

Then come along to this launch event, kicking off a series of regular events throughout the year that will provide a supportive and friendly network, as well as information and networking opportunities for business women in Tasmania.  

That Start Up Show, the Australian startup and entrepreneurial web series, has announced the line-up of its first panel, including Alan Noble (#StartupAUS, Google Australia), Bronwen Clune (editor, StartupSmart) and Seb Eckersley-Maslin (BlueChilli).

That Start Up Show will focus on the fast-growing Australian entrepreneurial boom and the culture that surrounds it. This unique series brings together businesses, creatives, startups, VCs, capital, incubators and entrepreneurs to the public on a 6-month journey exploring the ups and downs of being a startup. The series will be filmed once a month commencing with a special launch event on Thursday 31 July.

Startup Tasmania had its first networking event in Burnie this week, bringing together like-minded entrepreneurs, innovators, business owners and more in a convivial session over drinks.

The event was about offering people a chance to participate in making a change in Tasmania, and how businesses can drive that change.

SmartCompany and Officeworks are thrilled to present the inauguralGrowing Your Business Seminar. Join us for a morning of learning trade secrets, thought provoking discussion and interaction, on Thursday 7th August at Federation Square in Melbourne.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it in person. The event will be live streamed, offering you the opportunity to learn from all four speakers, or select what time you’d most like to jump in. 

According to Dominic Collins, a public affairs professional, specialising in stakeholder engagement, position development, communications and advocacy, says the great disconnect between the rhetoric about local entrepreneurship and Australian reality outlined by ANZ's BlueNote report are concerning, and somewhat confusing. 

Australian start-up numbers have fallen an alarming 30 per cent over the last three years, crunching the number of operating firms, according to new figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The alarming fall raises serious questions about whether there is a lack of an enterprise culture in Australia, a threat to long term employment prospects.