In November 2022, I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to head to vibrant Singapore as one of 35 UQ students taking part in UQ Ventures Startup AdVentures. We were to spend a month placed with various startups around Singapore to get an insight into startup life, and gain valuable experience in this diverse, dynamic and lively hub.
If Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) PhD candidate Swati Singh learned one thing from Singapore’s vibrant startup culture, it’s that fusing science and business is not only possible, but essential for any budding entrepreneur.
During the summer break, I had the opportunity to learn alongside a Singaporean startup called Antbuildz as part of the UQ Ventures Startup AdVenture program. Before the program, I had little to no experience or knowledge about the startup industry. However, after a month at my startup, attending startup events, and learning from my peers, my eyes have been opened to a fascinating new aspect of the business world.
I went into the Startup AdVenture Program with two objectives in mind; one, understand the startup world, and two, build my network connections. I can positively say, I achieved both objectives and more.
Over the mid-year break, I decided it was time for me to develop my employability skills. As a second year student, I applied for a Startup AdVenture worried that I would be out of my depth and my limited knowledge would hinder my ability to contribute.
During my Singapore Startup Adventure, I learnt a great deal about my strengths and weaknesses. Over the three weeks learning alongside my startup, I had the opportunity to use the knowledge and abilities I developed during my studies. I applied these skills daily, which gave me a better grasp and appreciation for them. But there were also times that I was assigned tasks where I had not the faintest clue on the subject.
In the mid-year break, I took part in the Startup AdVenture program where I learned alongside a startup for four weeks with Klaud9 — a startup based in Singapore using AI to connect businesses and brands with photographers in Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
As a final year computer science and physics student and chronic overthinker — when I looked at my resume and realised I didn’t have any workplace experience I started to stress. I remembered being told about a program that UQ Ventures offers, so after some online research I sent in my application.
As its name implies, the Startup Adventure is meant to be an adventure and is a journey where you should expect self, professional, and academic growth.
Some say it’s a business in its initial stages, but I got to experience something more than that. I learnt that a startup is developing a unique product or service and trying to implement it into the market for solving problems, filling a gap in the market, and making it irresistible for customers not to use.
