The case for Entrepreneurial Immigrants

Fifty-six percent of top U.S. technology companies were founded by a first- or second-generation immigrant. 

We need to encourage  high-skilled immigration and visas for science graduates, or we risk these massive employers being founded elsewhere.

Funding for Incubators in Regional Australia

AIMEE CHANTHADAVONG

The federal government has appointed four ‘innovation facilitators’ across regional Australia to help regional incubators and startups through the Incubator Support program.

• Andrew Outhwaite, chair of StartupWA
• Brad Twynham, startup consultant
• Daniel Smith, former MassChallenge country manager
• Mark Phillips, business mentor

 The facilitators are charged with providing advice and helping people develop professional networks in Australia and overseas, and to forge local links with business, industry, universities, research institutions and government.

Jobs and Innovation Minister Michaelia Cash said the program aimed to drive regional development and growth.

“The additional support and advice these expert facilitators provide to incubators and startup hubs will help to foster successful start-ups in our regions,” she said.

Interestingly, however, while the specialists are responsible to focus on assistant incubators and startups in regional Australia, some are based in what many would consider as metro, leaving some sceptical about exactly how the facilitators will be to assist if they’re not on the ground.

David Masefield, co-founder of Startup Toowoomba, said the additional measure should improve the overall quality of startups and entrepreneurs in the regions.

“Overall, what the federal government is doing is a good idea. From my understanding, the quality of applications that were going through the Incubator Support process was not up to scratch,” he said.

“The government recognises that people want to be doing some good out in the regions, but were not hitting the target of what was really required in the applications, so by bringing on board some coordinators to assist the process I think that’s a good thing.

“For me, it becomes a bridge between the people who are going to make the decision in Canberra, who may not have direct contact with the people who are putting in the applications.”

The $23 million Incubator Support program is an initiative of the National Innovation and Science Agenda, and designed to give incubators and accelerators access to matched funding of up to $500,000 to improve their commercial prospects.

Since its launch in September 2016, the Incubator Support program has awarded almost $6.3 million to 15 new and existing Australian incubators. An additional $800,000 has been invested in expert secondments into 30 Australian incubators. 

JCA 2018 Living Dangerously

Great session last night at JCA’s living Dangerously event.

Phil Nosworthy was talking about the importance of Community and Connection on our journey into the future.

There were great keynotes by 4 awesome humans 

Thanks JCA for an awesome event! 

Max Stossel and Mark Bakers - Living Dangerously

Allanah Zitserman’s Keynote

Tamar Krebs’s Keynote 

Living Dangerously - into the future

Great keynotes by Max Stossel and Mark Baker 

We are a work in progress - says Mark Baker.

We survived the holocast - and we are now in the wilderness - creating history of humankind

• performing our rituals and expanding on them - enriching and expanding the narrative for our future generations.
• Sharing the stories of our forefathers 

As much of 40pc if daily behaviours are habitual. 

Are we repeating things that grow our communities and grow ourselves or making it harder for people to follow ? 

How long will the human exist in its current form? 

We are not the customer - we are actually the product living in the Matrix. We are being “farmed for our attention” says Max Stossel

We can be anywhere at anytime - touching and feeling and being immersed in Virtual Reality experiences 

- with the objective of “being sold to” by those that have the power to influence.

Algorithms are playing chess with our minds  to keep us  liking and scrolling and swiping! 

Facebook remembers everything - Facebook channels you  to people that you like 

Your views will be cemented by clever arguments making it impossible to empathise with others - you are being taught to hate. There is data to justify everything.

The algorithm hides condemning evidence that’s not on our side with secrets and with lies. In a world of secrets and lies and hidden agendas - the truth matters most when it is not on your side 

Living Dangerously with Allanah Zitserman

I am not married - I have a child - I live with an amazing Greek Human - I am still Jewish - just a bit different just a bit dangerous!

I go to the fringe. - snap back to the middle of my comfort zone .... stretch the boundaries  - live dangerously - I am on a mission - on a journey - where? It’s still a work in progress.

About Community 

Dangerous ideas requires huge amounts of vulnerability. 

A community needs to provide the latitude and support for people to pursue their dreams , make those failures and drive those edges further! 

Disruption and innovation is key for a community to grow.

The interesting thing for me is that as I pull back from the community - the more the community accepts me - the more that it draws me back.

Sydney is difficult - and can be very confronting and lonely - the power of its people is directly relational to the power of its connected community.

About Allanah Zitserman 

Allanah Zitserman born to Russian refugees is a famous playright, film producer and storyteller

Russian Doll was her first . It went on to earn her an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Recently she has started production on the feature film, Ladies in Black,directed by Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy)

Living Dangerously - redefining what a Rabbis Wife can do

Being a Rebbetzin (Rabbi’s Wife), having an open home, looking after 4 amazing children  and being a role model to the community 

But 

Also being a CEO - with a big hairy audacious goal (BHAG) of helping people die with dignity and helping people live with dementia - Focussing  on their abilities and celebrating their differences 

Living Dangerously - Redefining what a rebbetzin can do

Tamar was surprised when a woman said - “what dreams did you have before you were a rabbis wife!”

“I have the same dreams now that I had before I was married - I now have a husband,  community and friends that can support and help me achieve those dreams!

The woman was confused - but that’s ok because Tamar likes confused people! 

On Raising Capital

You think Colonel Sanders had it bad looking to raise money for Kentucky fried chicken!!!

Try looking for money for a venture being - 

1. A Female 
2. Young
3. And a Rabbis wife 

But

A love for innovation and disruption in her field and an unswerving mission to disrupt her field and allow people  with dementia to live and die with dignity.

The trifecta! After 63 rejections and 100s of meetings - she raised the seed money to build our first home - and now have 13 homes around NSW - helping over 100 souls with dementia along their journey with dignity, support and unconditional love. 

Some key takeouts :- 

Inclusion for diversity and difference

Disruption where we dare to be different 

Pushing  the boundaries of opportunity

We need to celebrate our differences

Different Genders

Different Religions

Different Cultures 

We need to find the commonality. 

Where can we be connected and create community? 

The world looks to us how we do community and tribe - we need to be an example to the rest of the world  - we need to be at the forefront of innovation, be different , but with rock solid values with 1 underlying theme -

“Treat others the way you would like to be treated”

The Difference Between a Cryptocurrency and a Token

The Bob Pritchard Column 

A cryptocurrency coin refers to cryptocurrency that has it own blockchain and works independently of other platform while token refers to cryptocurrency that operates and based its existence on another platform, for instance Ethereum. E.g. Tron, Vechain and Bytom. Here’s a few specific differences that you might find useful.

 

1.         Structure
Coins are essentially digital financial assets. They are currencies in the real sense of the word because they are capable of being exchanged and used for trading. Tokens are also digital financial assets. But rather than being the actual assets in themselves like the coins, token is a representation of the actual financial assets, reflecting value upon entering the blockchain; they are separate entries on the blockchain and facilitate largely the creation of several other applications that are decentralized.

2.         Infrastructure
While the Coins use a unique and independent blockchain for each of their variety, the Tokens can have several entries into the same blockchain. In essence, each Coin has its blockchain completely independent of any and all other Coins. This is not the same with the Tokens. There are instances where several Tokens are built upon and entered into the same blockchain.

3.         Creation
In creating Coins, there has to be a complete modification of the protocol from scratch to accommodate the unique features of each coin. This is not so with tokens. Creating tokens is much easier. To create new tokens, one does not have to create new blockchains from scratch or begin to modify the codes that exist on the particular protocol. All of the tokens, being but representations of digital assets, use the same codes and protocol upon entry of their values on the blockchain. One can create token with merely a few negligible modifications to the protocol, and this is only in very few circumstances.

4.         Ease and difficulty of creation
Due to the need to have a separate set of codes and particular protocols, be they new or modified, in the creation of cryptocurrency Coins, the level of difficulty involved is comparatively higher. With the easily adaptable nature of Token codes and protocols, and the ability to have each new Token entered on the blockchain using the same standard protocol/template, creating tokens is far more easy and convenient in general.

5.         Platform for Operation
Coins by their nature and mode of creation are designed to operate by themselves independently. Coins share this unique feature with the everyday currency bills we find in our society. The ability to use the cryptocurrency Coins to trade as well as a unit of measure and exchange of financial assets is what makes it unique and gives it satisfaction of the appellation of ‘cryptocurrency.’ The Tokens, on the other hand, are not capable of being operated in isolation. They are not in themselves direct financial assets. They are rather a representation of digital financial assets as discussed. Thus, the tokens have to be based upon another platform, such as Omni and Ethereum, for them to exist and operate. They are not capable of direct entry on the blockchain.