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HomeVenture Makers Innovation ChallengeVenture Makers Innovation Challenge 4 – Mental Health

Venture Makers Innovation Challenge 4 – Mental Health

Launch Pad hosted their fourth Venture Makers Innovation Challenge on April 27 2023!

Venture Makers is Launch Pad’s entrepreneurship training and development program for students, researchers and staff designed to build and support an entrepreneurial culture & ecosystem. 

The Challenge Question

"How do we promote mental health in Western Sydney?"

One of the biggest challenges facing all of our future employers over the next decade is getting to net zero. Nearly every project, every team and every employee are being asked to consider this in all jobs whether it is medicine, law, engineering, creative arts and media, manufacturing or transportation.

Understanding these challenges and how to be part of a team to solve them can be exciting and relevant to future employment prospects. The Accelerating to Net Zero Innovation Challenge put participants in the driver’s seat to solve this problem and develop and communicate innovative ideas. The skills learnt in this challenge would be valuable whether they become an employee for any organisation or choose to become an innovator, inventor or entrepreneur.

Working in teams, participants proposed new ideas and solutions for Accelerating to Net Zero with a human-centric approach that delivers the most benefit to society focusing on the following sectors:

Innovative Clinical Approaches

Supporting Mental Wellbeing

Access and Equity

Understanding and Reducing Stigma

Community Transition

Download the Net Zero student info pack
The Challenge Question

"How do we promote mental health
in Western Sydney?"

Our mental health is critical to our wellbeing. Now more than ever we need to contribute to solutions that are easy to access, equitable and impactful. The Venture Makers Innovation Challenge will focus on answering the question:

 

How do we promote mental health in Western Sydney?

The Venture Makers Innovation Challenge put participants in the driver’s seat to solve an emerging problem and develop and communicate innovative ideas. The skills learnt in this challenge would be valuable whether they become an employee for any organisation or choose to become an innovator, inventor or entrepreneur.

Working in teams, participants proposed new ideas and solutions for How to Promote Mental Health with a human-centric approach that delivers the most benefit to society focusing on the following sectors:

 

Innovative Clinical Approaches

Supporting Mental Wellbeing

Access and Equity

Understanding and Reducing Stigma

Download the challenge info pack

Prizes

* All prizes are issued in vouchers.

Venture Makers Innovation Challenge 4
Winners

1st Place

Birds of a Feather

Angelina Le, Joshua Thomas, Florence Tarawallie

Birds of a Feather – the creation of an “Immigrant Mental Health Awareness Month” to promote mental health through inter-community activities and connectivity.

2nd Place

Teaspoon

Puneet Singh, Sumit Tiwari, Tim Gouldon

Teaspoon – an assistive AI app that connects young people with hobbies in their local regions. 

3rd Place

Bee Me

Rachelle Hanna, Gemo Nan, Nivanka Fernando

Bee Me – an inclusive rental health app with disability-friendly functions to connect ALL individuals to 24/7 human support. 

The Challenge Question

"How do we stop the climate crisis by accelerating to a net carbon zero economy?"​

One of the biggest challenges facing all of our future employers over the next decade is getting to net zero. Nearly every project, every team and every employee are being asked to consider this in all jobs whether it is medicine, law, engineering, creative arts and media, manufacturing or transportation.

Understanding these challenges and how to be part of a team to solve them can be exciting and relevant to future employment prospects. The Accelerating to Net Zero Innovation Challenge put participants in the driver’s seat to solve this problem and develop and communicate innovative ideas. The skills learnt in this challenge would be valuable whether they become an employee for any organisation or choose to become an innovator, inventor or entrepreneur.

Working in teams, participants proposed new ideas and solutions for Accelerating to Net Zero with a human-centric approach that delivers the most benefit to society focusing on the following sectors:

Electrifying Mobility

Active Transportation

Clean Energy

Energy Efficiency

Community Transition

Carbon Offset

Carbon Offset

Key Dates

Info Session

This session was when participants met the Launch Pad team, heard more about the Challenge from our experts and explored the theme! They got a head start and prepared themselves for the Challenge.

Date: 4 April 2023

Location: Online

Time: 12.00 PM – 1.00 PM

Register now
Challenge Day

The Venture Makers Innovation Challenge was a whole-day hackathon event (9.00 AM – 5.00 PM).

Date: 27 April 2023

Location: New Bankstown City Campus, Western Sydney University, 74 Rickard Rd 2200

Time: 9.00 AM – 5.00 PM

Register now

Reducing Meat-Based Diets

Emissions Reduction

Emissions Reduction

Reforestation

Green Supply Chain

Circular Economy

Green Finance

Download the Net Zero student info pack
Register for the Info session
Innovation Hackathon & Pitch Competition
15 September 2022

Australian Participants (in-person, Parramatta): 10:30am – 8pm AEST

International Participants (online): 11am – 8pm AEST

Register for the Innovation Hack
Program Outline

The Venture Makers Innovation Challenge is a whole-day hackathon event, kicked off at 9.00 AM and finished at 5.00PM

Register for the Innovation Hack
Register for the Info session
Register for the Innovation Hack
The Benefits

Skills learnt throughout the challenge

Soft Skills

1) Entrepreneurial Thinking
2) Problem Hacking
3) Non-verbal Communication skills
4) Radical Open-mindedness
5) Radical Creativity
6) Effective Brainstorming
7) Time Efficiency 
8) Radical Empathy
9) Collaboration

Hard Skills

1) Conceptual Design
2) Pitching for Impact
3) Sustainable Development Goals
4) Innovation Hack Canvasing
5) Entrepreneurial Process
6) Sustainable Design
7) Corporate Presentation/Storytelling

Entrepreneurial thinking

Entrepreneurial Thinking

Non-verbal communication skills

Radical Creativity

Radical Open Mindedness

Time Efficiency

Effective Brainstorming

Radical Empathy

Collaboration

Conceptual Design

Pitching for Impact

Sustainable Development Goals

Innovation Hack Canvasing

Entrepreneurial Process

Sustainable Design

Corporate Presentation/Storytelling

Industry Partner

Partnering in this Innovation Challenge is Virbela an international leader in the Metaverse space that brings people together to work, learn, meet, and train in an immersive virtual world – from anywhere.

Through the challenge, Virbela provided guest speakers and facilitators building opportunities for students to connect with industry leaders. 

Virbela also provided a range of prizes for challenge winners including tickets to major events and personalised career mentoring opportunities. 

'Welcome to the Metaverse'

Finalists

The teams worked to conceptualise metaverse solutions in areas such as mental health, diagnostic tools for dementia, therapeutic approaches for treating lower back pain, innovation in retail, marine conservation, immersion, social good, fitness through human-machine integration, and sustainability, with six teams – AquaMeta, Virtualizon, NASA, MemoVerse, The Good Team, and The Three Musketeers –  progressing to the final.

Read media release: Venture Makers Innovation Challenge embraces the Metaverse.

See past challenge recap
REGISTER NOW

Walking Bus - Getting to Bankstown City Campus

To help you get to the challenge venue, we’ve organised a walking “bus” on Bankstown City Campus – a group of people forming together to walk safely between the campus and Bankstown train station.

  • From Bankstown station to Bankstown City Campus: 08.30 AM – 09.00 AM
  • From Bankstown City Campus to Bankstown station: 05.00 PM – 05.30 PM

Come and join for us for future challenges to create the solutions we need today.
Help us to make a positive difference to our communities!

   +61 2 9678 7200

  Suite 12, Ground Floor, 14 Great Western Highway,
Werrington NSW 2747
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