ANU Summer Founder Pilot Program

Are you an ANU student team working on an innovative venture? Need help getting it to that next stage and ready to launch?

The ANU Summer Founder Pilot Program, run by Innovation ANU, is a free two-month program that engages the top entrepreneurial minds who want to change the world. As a Summer Founder at the The Australian National University, you will build real-world skills and grow your network to fast-track venture growth.

We're looking for committee teams with great ideas. We welcome all types of venture ideas, but you will ideally have identified your target market, and your idea should be solving a real problem and be scalable.

The program will run from 30th November 2020 to 5th Februrary 2021, and includes:

• Seminars and workshops on topics specific to accelerating your business and building your real-world skills
• Weekly cohort accountability sessions
• Peer-based learning
• Mentorship
• Pitching at Demo Day
• Connections to ANU and broader innovation networks

Eligibility:

• Open to early-stage ventures led by current ANU students.
• Teams must make themselves available to attend and engage with Summer Founders events. Preliminary dates for the Summer Founders pilot program can be found here and are subject to minor changes. The content for this program will be delivered remotely, however there will be in-person events on campus that would be highly advantageous to attend.
• Prior participation in other innovation-related programs, e.g. InnovationACT, is favourable but not essential.
• Best suited to teams who already have some traction developing their venture. Your team should already be able to:
  • Articulate the problem you are solving;
  • Explain how you will solve it;
  • Show evidence of having validated your idea with your market;
  • Identify your competition;
  • Identify who your first customers will be and how you plan to reach them; and
  • Develop a plan for where you would like to see your venture in three months' time.
• Best suited to teams who already have established funding to support initial startup costs. Please note that this pilot program does not provide funding towards your venture, and some funds may be required to progress your venture, such as registering as a company or making progress on your MVP. Self-funding, loans and grants are avenues to help fund your venture. As ANU students, you are eligible to apply to PARSA's SEEF venture grants and College-based grants, which are a low-risk way to source funding towards your early venture. Note: The last 2020 round of SEEF venture grants close 28th October.

Application/selection process:

If your team would like to be considered for the ANU Summer Founder Pilot Program, complete the Venture Application form here by 11:59pm, 1st November 2020.