Six emerging entrepreneurs from across the Riverina are having their business ideas boosted thanks to an innovation program by CSU Wagga.
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The third cohort of the university’s AgriTech Incubator was launched on Monday, with the program helping innovation and economic development.
It does so by offering incubator programs, providing co-working spaces, fostering greater participation of women in entrepreneurial activities and supporting small-to-medium businesses to overcome research and development challenges.
Participant and first-year CSU student Mackenzie Bond, who is studying animal sciences, said her idea was to establish a veterinary and agricultural organisation.
“To provide services to rural and remote areas across Australia,” Ms Bond said.
“This program is enabling me to create a foundation for my idea, it’s opening doors to government affiliations and it’s helping me to understand marketing and finances.”
This program is enabling me to create a foundation for my idea.
- Mackenzie Bond, entrepreneur and CSU student
She encourages other students to participate in the future.
“Do everything before you’re ready – get involved,” she said.
Project officer Siobhain Howard said that while the program encourages start-ups seeking to leverage new technologies from ‘farm to fork’, it was “open to participation by any ‘tech-enabled’ regional start-up”.
“Participants are working on a number of diverse ideas, ranging from food labelling to an insurance platform and veterinary services for the outback.
“Participants will have five minutes to pitch their business idea to the attending audience on the final evening of the program.”
The incubator will run for eight weeks with some participants travelling up to two hours to attend the program.
It is funded by the NSW Department of Industry with additional funding from CSU.