Opportunity for free coaching, networking and mentorship valued at $10,000 – spaces limited!
February 19, 2021: The WILD IDEA Business Incubator is back for its third year supporting individuals and businesses to realise the potential of their environmental ideas. Odonata, in partnership with the New South Wales Government’s Saving our Species program and the NAB Foundation, is delivering the innovative business incubator supporting environmental conservation-focused start-ups. Odonata is a not-for-profit that focuses on commercialising biodiversity business solutions. The 2021 WILD IDEA Incubator programme kicks off 26 March 2021 and it’s free to join Visit the WILD IDEA website to apply. Applications close 22 March 2020.
Wild Idea is designed to support innovators, environmentalists and entrepreneurs who are passionate about protecting our natural environment through business. Its personalised, ten-week, webinar-based incubation program guides businesses from early-stage idea, through to commercial launch.
Participants receive expert mentoring and personalised performance coaching plus introductions to potential co-founders and investors sharing the same vision. In its third year, Wild Idea has already supported a series of promising conservation projects through its first two incubators.
72 teams entered last year and over 30 of them achieved commercial launch including;
- GeoNadir Drone: mobilising the world’s drone flyers to crowdsource high spatial resolution data to protect at-risk ecosystems – achieved a $200K+ grant to launch
- Beyond the Fairway: Turning golf courses into biodiversity reserves and carbon sinks and encouraging greater interaction between golfers and their environment.
- Planet Warrior: Helping Aussie kids learn more about the environment and wildlife. Providing creative, science-based learning resources and courses – launched and picked up a valuable corporate contract which is helping them scale their business
- Xylo Systems: A cloud-based platform set to revolutionise how Australian wildlife conservationists track, manage and connect conservation initiatives – increased its partner networks significantly
Camille Goldstone Henry, Founder and Creator of Xylo systems comments: “We started this with one question, ‘what does your 2040 look like?’ over the weeks in the incubator we have been given the tools, concepts and frameworks to help us take our ideas into a business model to make that 2040 vision a reality”, said Henry.
“The weekly webinars have been great, teaching us concepts from marketing to collaboration to crowdfunding. My idea has gone from an idea to an early stage start-up and I am already starting to work with customers. Don’t wait, get on board and join the incubator.”
WILD IDEA believes that the only way to create a shift in positive action is to elevate the role of business to help provide solutions, using the lever of commerce to derive economic, social and environmental benefits.
A key program highlight includes mentoring by a dozen nature-focused entrepreneurs such as Chris Arms who the CEO and Founder of CJ Arms which is a creative design firm using nature-first principles to develop design solutions.
WILD IDEA was created to address Australia’s poor record of species extinction and fragmented and siloed biodiversity interest groups working towards a solution. Odonata and the Wild Idea team believes that the only way to create a shift in positive action is to elevate the role of business to help provide solutions, using the lever of commerce to derive economic, social and environmental benefits.
Australia has one of the worst records of species extinctions of any continent, with nearly 50% of the world’s known and historically recorded mammal extinctions. Professor Graeme Samuel who recently conducted an independent review of Australia’s Environment Law concluded that Australia’s biodiversity is in rapid decline.
“Individuals from science, government, and researchers can’t solve this crisis alone and reverse Australia’s lamentable record for biodiversity devastation,” said Samuel.
The 2021 WILD IDEA Incubator programme kicks off 26 March 2021 and it’s free to join Visit the WILD IDEA website to apply. Applications close 22 March 2020.
Press contact: Ellie Corley – 0475 841 664 and halffullcommunications@gmail.com