Making waves from within: My first experience as an intrapreneur
What is Intrapreneurship?
First and foremost, what exactly is the term ‘intrapreneurship?’ You’re probably thinking it’s just a misspelling of ‘entrepreneurship.’ In very simple terms, intrapreneurship is the practice of driving innovation and entrepreneurship within an existing organisation.
For me, the intrapreneurial journey has been both exhilarating and transformative — ultimately leading me to pitch an idea I believed could make an impact.
Back to the Beginning: The San Francisco Startup AdVenture
As part of the 2024 San Francisco Startup AdVenture program, I was placed with Gamma, a Series A tech startup revolutionising presentations with AI-powered, no-code tools. What started as a 1 month experience turned into a year-long role in product marketing and social media content creation.
The Spark of an Idea
I loved Gamma’s vision and its product, which made me want to contribute beyond my role. With my passion for intrapreneurship and inspiration from UQ Ventures' Mayu and my mentor, Joz, I challenged myself to identify gaps and growth opportunities for the company.
What began as a small challenge I set for myself took me on a month-long deep dive; brainstorming, refining, and crafting the right solution to pitch to the founder.
Refining the Pitch and Seeking Feedback
Once I had a strong concept, I started refining my pitch. After multiple iterations, I practiced with Vickie King, the co-host from Ventures’ intrapreneurship program. That meeting was a turning point. I walked in ready to listen and adjust; I walked out feeling locked-in, clear-minded, and more motivated than ever. I was ready to pitch to Gamma's founder.
The Pitch
So, what did my final pitch look like?
It boiled down to 3 key elements:
- Identifying the problem and my solution.
- Presenting evidence and feedback to validate its impact.
- Aligning the vision with the company’s goals to demonstrate strategic value.
What I learned
The result? I think it was a great success! The founder saw the importance of implementing the change and agreed with my points.
Whether or not the idea gets implemented, this experience has been invaluable. It reinforced my belief in driving change and innovating from within - because small ripples create big waves.
Entrepreneurship often gets the spotlight, but intrapreneurs can be just as impactful. As Mayu reminded me after my pitch, “Sometimes, getting the ‘yes’ takes time, but you’ve already planted the first seed.” And that’s exactly what I plan to nurture.
Do you want to learn more about Intrapreneurship? Join the first Ventures Curiosity Intrapreneurship program starting on Tuesday 8 April!