The UTS Startups Summit is designed for Year 9 and 10 students to explore entrepreneurship as a potential career path and learn what it takes to be a startup founder.
When it comes to entrepreneurship, there’s no such thing as ‘too young’ or ‘too early’ to get started – even if you’re still in high school. Whether you’re confident that the startup path is for you or still undecided, the UTS Startups Summit is the place to ignite and nurture that entrepreneurial spark.
The day will be packed with live demos, speeches from successful entrepreneurs, high school-aged inventors and more. Here are the highlights, insights and benefits attendees can expect from this year’s Summit.
1. Get hands-on with live demos
Keen to see entrepreneurship in action? The Summit’s live demonstrations provide students a chance to apply what they learn immediately by experimenting with new tools and techniques under the guidance of experienced entrepreneurs and facilitators. This practical approach is intended to make starting a startup a little less daunting and give students the confidence to embark on their entrepreneurial journey.
2. Learn from some of the brightest entrepreneurial minds
What better way to learn what’s possible than to hear firsthand from those who have been in the trenches? UTS Startups Summit will feature talks from speakers who faced challenges and overcame obstacles to transform their idea into a thriving business. Highlights include Canva Co-Founder Cliff Obrecht, Carted’s Founder Holly Cardew, and Brett Fox, founder of photography education startup Photzy. But it’s not just big names – rising stars and student entrepreneurs will take to the stage and share their stories as well.
3. Trial cutting-edge technologies
Business intersects with technology on so many levels, and it’s important entrepreneurs think about how different types of technology can be used as tools to grow their business. The UTS Startups Summit brings in the latest in technology, innovation and creativity to expose students to some of the ways technologies can be used to develop new products and services, automate tasks, and analyse data for customer and market insights. Highlights include sessions such as ‘How to build a website in 10 minutes’, which showcase the potential of AI tools to help startup founders scale their business quickly.
4. Gain momentum to take action
One of the best outcomes of the UTS Startups Summit is students leaving with the confidence and knowledge to take the next step in their entrepreneurial journey. Between the real-life success stories of startup founders, to practical knowledge about the latest tools and resources available to support entrepreneurs, students will leave with a solid foundation and understanding of how they can take the next steps to make their business idea a reality. Students will take home a resource pack containing tools and guides to help them apply the knowledge they gained during the Summit to their own projects. They can also stay connected with the UTS Startups community for ongoing support, capability building, and access to additional resources and opportunities.
“Attending events like UTS Startups Summit is crucial for high school students as it exposes them to the world of entrepreneurship early on,” says UTS Startups team member Jane Oja.
“Encouraging entrepreneurship at a young age equips students with critical thinking skills, resilience, and the ability to not only succeed in the ever-changing job market – but also shape it.”
UTS Startups Summit is Australia’s largest event to inspire and support young entrepreneurs. To learn more and register your school, click here.