Innovation Central Perth (ICP) based at Â鶹ֱ²¥ has partnered with Perth Angels and South West Angels to connect early career researchers with a community of start-up investors in Western Australia.<\/p>\n
Commencing in 2021, the new partnership will connect PhD students and postdoctoral researchers with WA networks looking to invest in emerging entrepreneurs, founders and business owners.<\/p>\n
As part of the project, Curtin researchers will have access to two not-for-profit investor networks \u2013 South West Angels which helps start-ups in regional WA, and Perth Angels, which connects metropolitan entrepreneurs – to help evaluate pitches made by emerging start-ups.<\/p>\n
Â鶹ֱ²¥ IP Commercialisation Director Mr Rohan McDougall said the new collaboration will give early career researchers the opportunity to contribute their technical expertise and provide research support to investors.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs part of the partnership, Curtin will identify a pool of talented and diverse researchers who will be able to bolster their experience by working directly alongside Perth Angels and South West Angels investors,\u201d Mr McDougall said.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents and researchers will have the opportunity to attend meetings where budding entrepreneurs pitch their ideas and then apply their technical expertise, to help angel investors determine whether the proposals are viable and competitive. Fellows will conduct research and offer their findings to potential investors, which can be used in assessing business plans and concepts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis innovative program will enhance the engagement between universities and industry to support job-ready graduates with the skills needed to meet tomorrow\u2019s workforce. Curtin and ICP are delighted to collaborate on this initiative that we hope will add value to both Perth Angels and South West Angels.\u201d<\/p>\n
South West Angels Chair Asher Vukelic welcomed the opportunity to partner with ICP on this important project.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth West Angels are looking forward to having access to research expertise to provide technical insights for future deals, particularly where deep tech is involved and outside the skill set of our members,\u201d Mr Vukelic said.<\/p>\n
Chair of the Perth Angels Mr Ian Brown said he looked forward to collaborating with ICP and its researchers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opportunity to collaborate in this initiative not only greatly benefits Perth Angel\u2019s investor members through the support of deep domain knowledge of the talented body of researchers at ICP, but is also a way to improve and spread best practice in early stage investing with researchers for their own growth \u2013 a true win-win,\u201d Mr Brown said.<\/p>\n
The program will run in collaboration with Washington State University in the U.S, which runs a similar initiative, and will establish a global network of student fellows, who will be able to connect through various virtual experiences to create an entrepreneurial student community.<\/p>\n
Woodside Open Innovation Lead Shaun Sadler said Curtin and ICP were key elements of Woodside\u2019s FutureLab innovation network.<\/p>\n
\u201cWoodside values innovative thinking and supports the growth and vitality of WA\u2019s innovation ecosystem.\u00a0 As a foundation member of ICP, we welcome the Angels collaboration. Being able to connect researchers and start-up investors unlocks further potential for sustainable growth in the innovation community,\u201d Mr Sadler said.<\/p>\n
The 2021 program is exclusively available to Â鶹ֱ²¥ students and researchers with the potential to open up to other universities in the future. Participants will receive a $500 incentive to acknowledge and support their efforts.<\/p>\n