Experience shows that it’s rarely the first or second idea that really gets you going – it’s often the third or fourth. Now is the time to start the process of finding them. Bring a pen, paper and an open mind to make the most of this workshop.

Learning outcomes

• Know how to talk about your idea without giving away your IP.
• Discover a simple but effective technique for sourcing ideas.
• Gain a quick way to create an ‘elevator pitch’ to share your idea.
• Work out how to decide which is the best idea to start with.
• Understand what a ‘pivot’ is and why entrepreneurs talk about it so much.

About the presenter

Brian Dorricott has taken 50 teams through ON, Australia’s national science and technology accelerator run by the CSIRO. He has first-hand experience as an engineer, serial founder and entrepreneur. Brian has founded two companies: Gordano in 1994 (exit to MBO, 217 times return on investment), which provided messaging software that was used by 13,200 companies including the US Army, IBM and Telstra, and an internet security company (sold to Cisco, 50 times return on investment). Subsequently, Brian ran an angel network reviewing 235 companies, presenting 23 to business angels, resulting in $11 million in investments for 11 companies, including $2 million from local angels. He left his role as the Entrepreneur in Residence at SETSquared (the world’s leading university incubator) to facilitate and lead individuals and teams through the process of maximising their innovation impact, both for themselves and Australia.

About the program

The Launch Plus Incubator Program is a series of workshops hosted by ACU Collaborate Plus, Australian Catholic University’s entrepreneurship and innovation hub. The series is designed to take you on a journey through the key stages of starting a business, or simply further your entrepreneurial skills to take advantage of future opportunities. Attend the full program for maximum benefits or choose specific workshops relevant to you and your aspirations.

Workshop topics include:

• design thinking
• developing and testing your business idea
• identifying your target market
• pitching and telling your story
• business legal basics
• digital marketing
• setting up an online store.