A commitment to paying forward past success has propelled UQ Ventures to become a world-leading hub of innovation
Over six years, UQ Ventures, the umbrella program for The University of Queensland’s (UQ) entrepreneurial programs and initiatives, has worked with students, researchers, academics and alumni to develop ideas that create genuine impact in the world.
UQ Head of Entrepreneurship Nimrod Klayman says UQ Ventures is home to “some immense success stories”, but true success came from the influence and legacy of those stories.
“We have people in our program turning their ideas into something big and global,” Klayman says.
“Success breeds success. When they come back to UQ, they share their know-how with the current cohort and show students what they can become.
“I speak with a spectrum of individuals, and find a lot of people have a dream to run their own business or have an idea and want to take it to the next level.”
Klayman says there are three ingredients crucial to entrepreneurial success: basic skills to start a business, inspiration to develop an idea and motivation to drive that idea.
Nimrod Klayman
“When UQ’s entrepreneurial ecosystem started to mature, we brought in founders and successful past students to be role models, to help inspire and motivate.
“We started to really bed down those basic skills, too, with different core programs – from introductory to advanced – and talks, events, challenges and activities to complement those programs.”
UQ Ventures’ programs are grounded in innovation and real-world applications and emphasise creative problem solving, design thinking, negotiation, communication and leadership skills.
While most are designed for university students, staff and alumni, UQ Ventures sets a new generation of budding entrepreneurs on the path to success with a suite of secondary school initiatives.
“We really believe the earlier you start, the better the chance of success,” Klayman says.
