I am 1 of 2 chapter leads for Queensland for Catalysr: pre-accelerator

Catalysr is an accelerator for early-stage startups. It is specifically aimed at first-generation migrants and refugees. “Migrapreneurs”, as Catalysr likes to call them, have unique challenges when trying to launch businesses. Catalysr aims to provide education, and the network Migrapreneurs need to have a higher chance of success with their business and ideas.

I am not an alumnus of this accelerator, but my MIT Bootcamp teammate, Pascal Seibold, went through the accelerator with his startup Jobspottr GmbH. However, it was another MIT Bootcamp alumnus, Muheeb Hoque, an alumnus of Catalysr with this startup, The Pluralist, who recommended me as a suitable person for the Chapter Lead position for Queensland in Catalysr’s new national pre-accelerator program.

Catalysr’s Head of Operations Marlowe Mackenzie on the pre-accelerator program

A pre-accelerator program helps individuals/small teams who have a startup idea to test and validate their idea for a high-growth tech startup.

I am incredibly grateful to be given this opportunity to give back to the startup community and the migrant community. We, first-generation migrants, have to stick together, and I look forward to meeting some great Migrapreneurs from Brisbane and beyond!

StartMIT & MIT Fuse: Plus mini MIT Bootcamp Reunion

In my last post, I mentioned that I was glad to have said yes in 2019 to the MIT Bootcamp. I couldn’t remember at the time if MIT Bootcamp took place in some form in 2020. Last week, I was reminded that the MIT Bootcamp was not slated to come to Brisbane in 2020 nor 2021. Instead, the QUT and MIT collaboration is now taking place through StartMIT & MIT Fuse - two other MIT programs.

My understanding is that StartMIT is a lighter introduction to entrepreneurship then MIT Bootcamp. While MIT Fuse is for established startups looking for a more tailored framework through which to analysis and contextualise their experience and journey. They both have their own niche and place but I think the in-person Bootcamp was probably the best for me. So while I could have done something had I said no in 2019 to the Bootcamp, I am still glad I said yes when I did.

Of course, a perk of being a Bootcamp alumnus is that I was invited by Professor Rowena Barrett to a meet and mingle with this year’s participants of the StartMIT and MIT Fuse programs. The event took place last Wednesday. I got to meet some new nodes in the MIT network. As well as reconnect with some old ones like my Bootcamp mate Justin George, along with Bootcampers from other years, so a good way to February!

The Power of Now: I am glad I did it in 2019!

Well, Queensland is back in hard lockdown. Hopefully, this lockdown won't need to last past the planned three days. But the lockdown has already disrupted my family's plans. I bought tickets for Bluey's Big Play for my niece and nephew. They were supposed to have gone to the show on Saturday the 9th. Of course, now Saturday was day 1 of lockdown. QPAC issued refunds but given my niece is 5 and nephew is 2.5, they don't care about that, they cared about Bluey!

Of course, the Bluey Play is new. So this was the first time we could plan to see it. But that's not true of other things. That is why, through the COVID crisis, I found myself thinking "I am glad I did it in 2019!"

I had a packed 2019. That was the year I undertook the MIT Bootcamp. It was also the year I was part of the Impact Boom Elevate+, and finally, it was also the year I attended the Launch conference.

MIT Bootcamp did not come to Brisbane in 2020. I am not sure there were any in-person boot camps in 2020. Impact Boom Elevate+ did take place but shifted to Zoom. So I could have still taken part, but it would have been a different experience. Also, I tend to be less engaged with other people in the cohort in a virtual setting. I mean, there are online MIT Bootcamps. They are cheaper and more convenient. But given where I was before the Bootcamp, I don't think I would have gotten as much out of the experience if it wasn't face-to-face.

Also, there was no Launch Festival in 2020, and I don't think there will be one in 2021. Maybe if a critical mass of people is vaccinated by 2022 both here in Australia and the US, there might be another Launch Festival. But then are things that won't happen ever again.

One of the victims of COVID-19 was QUT CEA. In 2019, I was part of the QUT CEA one-day boot camp, which was the final selection step for their accelerator: Collider. We didn't make the final cut, but I am glad Josari got as far as it did. I also made a point of attending the Collider Pitch Day to see how far the finalists got in the time they had in the accelerator. This is an experience I won't get again.

There is a tendency we have as humans to put things off. Alternatively, we can hitch change to specific dates and times. I do this all the time with exercising and eating right. "I'll start tomorrow," I say to myself, but tomorrow I find another excuse. Then something like COVID comes along and reminds you that you can't just put off experiences or activities. So I am glad I did all the things I did in 2019. Because I couldn't have done them or done them the same way in 2020 and my life would be less rich for it.

So say yes to the conference, to the boot camp, to travel, to shows, to whatever, today because you don't know what will happen tomorrow.

2020 is a wrap!

2020 was a challenging year for most people. It certainly threw spanners in the works for my business, the startup scene in Brisbane, and derailed many of my plans. But I had support from my friends and family, business colleagues and clients. With their help and support, I have made it to the end of the year and cautiously looking forward to 2021.

My big plan for 2020 was to go on a marketing drive to win new business. But COVID-19 put breaks on those plans early because my potential clients were not in a position to commit to expenses. I mean, there were some openings in consulting work from home infrastructure, but a lot of established players were pivoting into this space. So I opted to put my head down and make good on existing contracts. The two big ones were Josari and Sharka Bosakova.

Josari

It was a year of up and down with Josari. We were working with a student team on the Josari android app when the pandemic hit. We had to move to remote supervision for the students as the university campus closed. But otherwise, COVID-19 did not impact that project too much.

However, the students were learning on the project far more than expected. We got the students through the QUT Capstone project. Now the idea behind capstone is that students apply what they learnt during their time at university. However, as it turned out, the students didn't have the Android development skills necessary to get Josari out the door.

However, I was able to source an excellent freelancer through UpWork who could bridge the students' competency gap. He also could code functionality that was simply beyond the students. The result is that Josari Android App is now available on the Play Store!

Sharka Bosakova

Sharka is a small fashion business. My work with her still ongoing. The big thing I did for her this year is to create her new website as part of her involvement with The Refinery. I also made the website for her UnMasked Exhibition. In 2021, we are looking at doing a Kickstarter and refining her operational processes and getting a marketing campaign set up for the webshop. 2021 is likely to be big for Sharka Bosakova brand, and I am keen to do my bit to make the webshop a success.

I had a few other clients in 2020 and ended the year with a couple of new projections. I am looking forward to undertaking the marketing campaign in 2021 that I wanted to in 2020. I will start with revamping my website and writing up my experiences from this year as case studies. So watch this space for what's to come!

Interview with the Founder's Voyage

Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking with the Founder’s Voyage podcast. The Founder’s Voyage was set up by Nancy Nash and Spencer Walker-Fooks. Every Saturday they sit down and chat with MIT Bootcamp alumni. The live interview time isn’t always great for Australians, but all episodes are available on JustCast.com. I highly recommend listening.