At last year’s Google Developer Day in Sydney, a session we held on entrepreneurship was jam-packed with more than 100 people hoping to one day create the next “big thing”.
What struck me about these budding entrepreneurs was that although they were overflowing with ideas and technical know-how, they were hungry for advice on things like how to attract funding, find business partners and market their idea or product. And thousands of kilometers from Silicon Valley, connecting with the right people with the knowledge and capital can be difficult.
So to help fill this gap for start-up wisdom, today we’re announcing Google Sudo, a new initiative for entrepreneurs and others interested in the Aussie startup community. Google Sudo is about helping aspiring Aussie entrepreneurs become successful entrepreneurs. It’s a start up “do" - a shindig - that will blend interesting talks, panels and ample networking time.
(Software engineers and systems administrators around the world know and love the “sudo” Unix command which grants them superuser privileges. So think of a Google Sudo as something that grants entrepreneurs to some of the secrets of access).
Over the next few months, we’ll be hosting free tutorials, events and Hangouts on Google+ that bring together successful entrepreneurs, angel investors, VCs and others who will share their stories and be generous with insights and advice to the Aussie startup community.
The first event on Wednesday, May 30, will be an interactive session that will cover incubation and venture capital and more.
The panelists:
- Entrepreneurs Mike Fox & Mike Knapp from Shoes of Prey (and former Googlers),
- Angel investor Vivian Stewart, from Sydney Angels, and
- VC Bill Bartee, from Southern Cross Venture Partners
Due to limited space we won’t be able to accommodate everyone, but please register your interest here. We will email you an invitation if your registration is successful.
There’s no shortage of budding Aussie entrepreneurs wanting to give startup life a go. Everyone benefits from a robust entrepreneurial eco-system and we think companies like Google can play a role in fostering the enormous talent we have downunder.
Posted by Alan Noble, Engineering Director, Google Australia and New Zealand
