Unlocking the
Entrepreneurial Mind-Set

Industry and Community Partner

Various

Incubator/Start-up

University

RMIT University (RMIT Activator

Innovative Features

Engaging multiple disciplines
Entrepreneurial elements – with a focus on mindset development
Scalable and sustainable
Coach or mentor elements

Enablers

Key enablers of the RMIT Activator include:

The Melbourne CBD location separates RMIT Activator from RMIT’s main campus but maintains links directly to the Vice Chancellor which facilitates fast decision making.
Partnerships formed with the Colleges at RMIT, which provides different WIL programs to students.
Wide diversity of our program participants as well as our staff and industry collaborators
Access to the expertise, skills and talents of the academic staff at RMIT and collaboration between RMIT academic and professional staff.
Its ability to drawn together staff, students and alumni all pursuing entrepreneurship and start-up’s in the same space to create a community embracing the entrepreneurial mind-set.

For more information

Please visit the RMIT Activator website at https://rmitactivator.edu.au

The RMIT Activator is an entrepreneurial space at RMIT designed to foster the entrepreneurial mindset and connect students, staff and alumni to a network of transformative experiences designed to facilitate the development of enterprise skills, encourage innovation alongside industry and innovation experts, and launch new businesses.

RMIT Activator has three streams:

Learn – provides student, staff and alumni with online and face-to-face entrepreneurial skill development opportunities.
Innovate – encompasses a range of Bootcamps, Hackathons and programs designed to support start-ups to move from idea to formation. During the 12-week Sandbox program participants undertake market research, create and test prototypes and validate the value proposition of their start-up.
Launch – offers students, staff and alumni a unique accelerator program, LaunchHUB – designed to support the launch of new enterprises through masterclasses, dedicated business and resilience coaches, advisors and industry experts all from their co-working space located in Melbourne CBD. Teams of at least two members with an early stage start-up, with a working MVP and a scalable business model can apply for the program.

RMIT Activator also acts as a brokerage between RMIT students and start-ups participating in the programs by connecting students with start-up’s offering credit-bearing WIL opportunities.

Impact / outcomes

RMIT Activator is quite new, starting in 2016, but it has already a community of almost 5,000 members (student, alumni and staff). It has supported 60 enterprises at this time, 41 of which have received funding ($955,000 in total), providing 12 WIL internship opportunities during 2018.