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ACU Co-Lab Circular Economy Incubator Series 2023
The Circular Economy Incubator Series is an eight-week, in-depth learning program designed to educate future changemakers about the practical components of the circular economy.
In this series, brought to you in partnership with StartSomeGood, industry experts will walk you through the key components of building a circular economy-focused business.
And you'll be able to put your new skills straight to work by crafting a video pitch for the Circular Economy Award - your chance to win $10,000.
The Circular Economy Incubator Series is free to attend and open to university students, staff and the broader community. Topics are delivered online in an interactive format.
The circular economy is about changing the way we produce, assemble, sell and use products to minimise waste and to reduce our environmental impact.
Register here for all workshops
Wednesday 10 May 2023
4 - 6pm AEST
Online
Learn to identify and understand circular economy principles, practices and opportunities. In this seminar, we will explore different circular economy business models, and workshop how these might be applied to early-stage business ideas as we consider how circularity can be used as a lens across the economy.
Wednesday 17 May 2023
4 - 6pm AEST
Online
Explore purpose, vision and impact in this introduction to social enterprise, where we will discuss impact models and theories of change.
This workshop will cover the fundamentals of social enterprise: what makes a company a social enterprise and what the different genres of social enterprises are. You will be introduced to impact models and theories and change, and how to formulate your own impact hypothesis.
Wednesday 24 May 2023
4 - 6pm AEST
Online
Clarify your ideas and build understanding and deep empathy for the people, problem and context. You will test your riskiest assumptions so you can move forward with confidence.
Wednesday 31 May 2023
4 - 6pm AEST
Online
Learn more about business modelling and value proposition design.
Once you're clear on how you want to make a difference and what you plan to offer, you need to make sure there's a business model that can underpin that approach. It's not enough that you know the world needs to move to circular models - for your enterprise to be sustainable, a customer must be willing to pay for your offering. This workshop will teach you how to design and test a circular business model that will work in the real world.
Wednesday 7 June 2023
4 - 6pm AEST
Online
Learn digital marketing essentials, including how to leverage the powerful camera in your pocket to make impactful videos.
Wednesday 14 June 2023
4 - 6pm AEST
Online
A great pitch needs to be a great story, and it can make all the difference for launching a social enterprise. It is crucial for sales, partnership development, fundraising and recruitment. A great pitch is all about getting your audience to act.
In this workshop, you'll learn about the 'five hooks of social change' and consider the different stories contained within your enterprise, and how to match these stories to the right audience.
Wednesday 21 June 2023
4 - 6pm AEST
Online
Learn more about finding your 'first money' and grow your understanding of investment, philanthropy, sales and the legal considerations for social entrepreneurs.
Wednesday 28 June 2023
4 - 6pm AEST
Online
Learn more about personal sustainability, building great company cultures, team building and project management.
We will also discuss the importance of building a peer community and give you the chance to put that into practice with a speed networking session.
Register here for all workshops
Attend three or more workshops and you'll be eligible to lodge a pitch entry into the Circular Economy Award.
This award recognises an individual or team who has developed a novel idea that addresses and relates to the circular economy and is at any stage of development, from inception to market. Your idea may be for a business that sells a physical product, or one that offers a service.
The winning video pitch entry receives:
A sum of $1,000 will be awarded to the best student entry that does not win the first prize.
Entries open on Thursday 25 May 2023.
Entries close at 11.59pm AEST on Sunday 2 July 2023.
The Circular Economy Award is a virtual competition and is open to any eligible entrant across Australia who attends at least three Circular Economy Incubator workshops. To participate, you must apply online.
To apply, all applicants must:
The judging criteria and online application form will be live on Thursday 25 May 2023.
Alexander is a seasoned marketing and communication professional who has two decades of experience with strong business acumen. He has substantial experience in Business Management holding senior positions within considerable companies that included responsibilities and accountabilities across departments for sales, marketing, finance, production and commercial. Furthermore, Alexander is a marketing lecturer, and early career researcher at ACU, and currently serves as a Director of Product Marketing for a SaaS company.
Alexander has run tactical marketing and demand generation efforts over EMEA, APAC, NAM and UAE markets for an ASX listed company specialising in cloud-based SaaS solutions. He was also part of the team that was influential in achieving Westpac Businesses of Tomorrow, the Deloitte's Fast 50 and Fast 500 awards for an ASX listed company in the sports, leisure, and hospitality sector. He has had experience in managing teams, successfully balancing both KPI expectations and the emotional stability of his people who worked under him. He has held both regional and state management positions, running production teams and advising on sales strategy in B2c & B2B environments.
Alexander has run tactical marketing and demand generation efforts over EMEA, APAC, NAM and UAE markets for an ASX listed company specialising in cloud-based SaaS solutions. He was also part of the team that was influential in achieving Westpac Businesses of Tomorrow, the Deloitte's Fast 50 and Fast 500 awards for an ASX listed company in the sports, leisure, and hospitality sector. He has had experience in managing teams, successfully balancing both KPI expectations and the emotional stability of his people who worked under him. He has held both regional and state management positions, running production teams and advising on sales strategy in B2c & B2B environments.
Kylie Flament is a social enterprise leader and sustainability expert with a background in managing large teams and projects in the corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors. She managed the cardiac department at both children's hospitals in Sydney before becoming the CEO of Green Connect, a social enterprise, for five years.
She currently holds multiple positions including CEO of the Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT, and an Expert in Residence at the University of Wollongong. Kylie brings valuable knowledge and experience in circular economy and "business for good".
Before joining StartSomeGood as the Learning Programs Manager and founding her own enterprises, All of the Good Things and Authentic Selling, Nimmity worked for 25+ years in senior management in the software industry. Working across a broad international landscape, this included working in Africa, the Middle East, Europe (including Russia and Central Europe), Scandinavia, Asia, and the Americas. As well as fantastic experiences exploring the world, these experiences also highlighted the extreme contrast between her living and traveling circumstances, and those she saw in her travels. This sparked a passion for the Fair Trade movement. Nimmity currently volunteers as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand. She enjoys hiking, exploring new cities, art, camping and reading fantasy novels.
I'm a Sustainability professional with a decade of experience in cutting organisations' environmental impacts and utility costs, building their corporate reputation, creating novel ways to educate and engage staff, and designing high-value programs integrated with strategic aims.
Right now I'm leading projects to make my employer one of the most sustainable Universities in Australia. These projects include negotiating a Power Purchase Agreement for 100% renewable electricity, an ethical offset strategy for air travel, sourcing bulk recycled water for our Brisbane campus, and a radical plan to apply the concept of energy-productivity to our energy management, ensuring my employer's position as the most energy efficient University in Australia becomes unassailable.
Day to day, I undertake sustainability data-gathering and analysis, provide advice to managers of capital and minor construction projects, and deliver a creative, engaging staff and student communication program to explain, manage expectations about, and win support for, the organisation's sustainability program.
I've worked closely with key colleagues to lift Australian Catholic University to its position as Australia's most energy-efficient University and one of the University-sector's leaders in water conservation and diversion of waste from landfill (TEFMA).
My work has also ensured that ACU has one of the lowest carbon-footprints of any Australian University.
Dr Samantha Murdy is an academic in Marketing with over 15 years of teaching, research, and consulting experience. Before joining ACU, she worked in the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Strathclyde. She holds a PhD and a Bachelor (Honours) degree in Marketing. She also holds a PG Cert in Higher Education Teaching and is a member of the Higher Education Academy.
Samantha has a keen research interest in conservation, sustainability, and community in relation to marketing in a tourism context and has previously conducted research on the sharing economy. She has published a range of case studies, conference papers, and top-tier journal articles, as well as publishing in the Conversation and being interviewed by Sunday Politics Scotland. Samantha has also received research funding, totalling more than $100,000, from bodies including, but not limited to, the Carnegie Trust, the Academy of Marketing, and the British Academy
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