Why We Decided to Run a Course on Intrapreneurship

I’ve always been curious about how people create change, not just from the outside, but from within.

From within workplaces, systems, institutions, — as part of their everyday life. I think we often imagine problem solvers as people who start their own business or become a “founder” of something. And yes, that’s one way. But not the only way.

Over the past few years at UQ Ventures, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside students who care deeply. They care about people, about the planet, about fairness, about small things and big things. But many of them don’t necessarily see themselves as “entrepreneurs.” They don’t want to build an app or start a startup, at least not yet. What they do want is to make things better.

So, this semester, we tried something new: a short, and practical course about intrapreneurship — the kind of problem-solving that happens from inside an organisation. The type that requires you to listen, notice things that feel “off,” and strategically push ideas forward. I had the honour of working side by side with Vickie King, an industry expert & intrapreneur (and now also a friend of mine) with over 20 years of experience, in a program that aims to help students build the mindset, foundation skills, and confidence to drive change inside the companies they work for.

Across three sessions, we had one goal: help students to understand how to pitch for permission (how to present ideas of new projects to the company you work for).

Honestly, we were not sure how students would respond. Intrapreneurship isn’t exactly a word people use every day. But it was exciting to see more students joining the program than expected; we were aiming to have 20 students join the program, and ended up having over 40.

This article is the first in a series, setting the scene for the next posts that will dive deeper into each session - unpacking the tools, lessons, and stories that shaped the experience:

• Session 1 – What Intrapreneurship Really Looks Like (written by our ambassador Candida Amaral)
• Session 2 – How to Pitch for Permission (written by Ventures ambassador Hein Reitmann)
• Session 3 – Real Company Pitches and What We Learned (written by Hein and Candida)

What stood out to me wasn’t just the solutions, it was the way the students showed up. With care. With presence. With a quiet belief that change is possible. That to have an entrepreneurial mindset, you don’t need to build a startup you just need to think like a problem solver. That they can be part of that change, even if it’s just one small step at a time.

And maybe that’s the heart of intrapreneurship. It’s not loud or flashy. It’s a quieter, more relational form of leadership. It’s about being in the room, paying attention, and trying — little by little and strategically — to build something better, together.

I’m so grateful to our students, and to the UQ staff (special shout out to the UQ Ventures Intrapreneurial Ambassador’s Candida Amaral and Hein Reitmann and to our industry partner Vickie King) who made this program happen. And I’m excited to keep building this, because we need more students who see that they can lead change, from wherever they are. Even from the inside.