Full speed ahead - so what's an accelerator?

By Alexi Boyd | Tuesday May 19

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd, broadcaster, advocate and small business owner.
Date: 19 May 2020

Incubators, accelerators, startup hubs. They seem to be popping up all over the place. Some are independant and others available through university programs. So what exactly are they and how do they give businesses the edge when starting out?

Are they just for the techpreneurs who innovate in the digital world, or are other industries and sectors involved too?

Today on the program we are joined by the CEO of Fishburners, Nicole O’Brien. Fishburners is a not for profit enterprise dedicated to “making the hardest thing you’ve ever done easier by providing the best facilities, resources, education, support and community of like-minded people to connect with and learn from.”

Welcome to the show Nicole.

Topics we’ll be covering:

  • Why are startups so important to building a better Australia?
    • How do you define a startup - is it a matter of being young or at the beginning of your small business journey?
  • Why is Community central to startup success?
    • How do organisations like Fishburners nourish a community with such a diverse range of startups in their community?
  • What is the future of communities in Australia, post pandemic? (How do they differ from co-working spaces?)
    • What are your top tips for continuing to collaborate & network when the face-to-face option is no longer there?
  • What makes Fishburners different?
  • What do we have to look forward to coming out of Australian startups over the next 5 years?

To find out more go to their website: https://fishburners.org/

 

Nicole O’Brien BIO

 

Nicole is a social enterprise leader with a passion for improving lives and communities.  

 

As CEO of Fishburners, Australia’s

largest startup community and coworking space, Nicole leads a space for

aspiring tech entrepreneurs to learn and communicate. The community has grown

to more than 850 members and 400 startups, across its offices in Sydney, and

Brisbane and Fishburners virtual platform.  Fishburners works closely with

partnerships including Google for Startups, Jobs for NSW, Brisbane City

Council,  UTS, Optus and Chartered Accountants ANZ.  High-profile

alumni include: Koala, GoCatch, DesignCrowd, Code Camp, Tinybeans, Madpaws,

Jayride, GradConnection and Hyper Anna.

 

Nicole’s career working with social

enterprises in the not for profit sector began in 1989 at the Australian

Conservation Foundation where she positively impacted on growing green

consumerism whilst building the ACF’s revenue base. A trip to Asia followed

with the opportunity to work on an Australian Aid project in Cambodia working

with the Khmer Journalists association as a business Development Advisor to

support the establishment of a free press. An exciting and optimistic time

following the first Democratic elections in Cambodia and there was a lot to

achieve, this led to work with the United Nations Development Program as a

Communications Consultant and the Shandwick Group as a PR Executive working for

the Cambodian Government.

 

Back in Australia Nicole worked for Team

Publications, a start up with a new approach to organisational learning where

she was charged with taking a range of management coaching tools to market.

This was followed by a role as Marketing Manager for the women’s and youth

titles. Following this period in publishing, Nicole’s passion for making a

difference took over and she spent the next 10 years transforming the social

enterprises of YWCA NSW and repositioning the organisation to be recognised for

the critical support it provided to women and their families.

 

More recently, Nicole has been using her

well-honed leadership, governance, financial, people, marketing and

entrepreneurial skills to ensure that ACON Health continues to be the leading

health promotion organisation providing opportunities for its community to live

their healthiest lives.

 

Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in

Education and Social Policy, Post Graduate in Marketing, Masters of Business

Administration and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company

Directors. She is mother to 15 year old Isabella and 9 year old Lachlan.