the IDEATOR: Innovate the Future

The IDEATOR is an immersive 27-hour program designed to spark and develop new ideas, and for our second IDEATOR being held May 29-30, we’re innovating the future of energy, jobs and food. Come one, come all! We’re calling bright minds from across the University to join us and hack the future. Over two days you’ll gain confidence in thinking entrepreneurially while working in cross-disciplinary teams and networking with others interested in and involved with entrepreneurship. Kicking off with an ideation session, our thought leaders will stage the trends and challenges in each space and over the two days, you’ll work together to develop and test impactful ideas, apply lean business practises to build your ideas, learn pitching skills at hosted workshops and tap into to coaches to keep you on track. At the 27-hour mark, teams will pitch their idea to a panel of judges. Winners will receive funding and awards to help them take the next step in exploring the potential of their project. Whether you want to spark a new idea or refine an existing one; whether you want to lead or join a team; whether you’re a ‘hacker’ or not; there is a valuable role for you to play! There is no cost to participate - the ticket fee is a deposit, and will automatically be fully refunded at the conclusion of the event when you collect your badge from the registration table. TRACKS We welcome any project that is a) awesome and b) fits into one of our themes… Future Food Future Energy Future Jobs You don’t need to have ideas coming in. We welcome participants regardless of sector or technical knowledge – just bring enthusiasm and energy. You can only participate in one stream, so when applying, select the stream most relevant to you and your goals. If you have questions about which stream is best for you, reach out. ELIGIBILITY People: Any current Monash students (undergrad, postgrad), staff and alumni are welcome to participate. Whether you’ve got an idea you’re currently working on, are looking for inspiration, or have skills and elbow grease you want to contribute, this event is for you! Get access to awesome mentors, connect with other emerging entrepreneurs and take your idea to the next level. Ideas: Projects need to be in one of our three streams: Future Food, Future Energy and Future Jobs. It doesn’t matter if you don't have an idea or if an idea has been niggling in the back of your brain. If your project doesn’t fit within one of these stream or is at a different stage, reach out as it may still have a place at this event. PROCESS Ideate: We’ll kick off at 1.30pm with seasoned experts to help clarify current pain points, identify white spaces, and give insights and lessons learned into how to start-up. Then there is a casual facilitated ideation session where teams and ideas are formed. Build and Validate: There will be coaches and mentors circling. There will be stations with specific experts to help bring your idea to life – from market intelligence to pitching practice. There will be workshops to help teams understand how to refine their pitch. Pitch: Each team has 2 minutes to pitch their idea to a panel at the end of the event. The winning team will get $500 and two teams that come runners up, will each recieve $250. We'll finish up with some awards and a chance to network over a drink and some nibbles to celebrate. PROGRAM Monday 29 May 1.00pm            Registrations open 1.30pm            Kick-off 2.00pm            Expert panel discussion 2.30pm            Team formation and ideation 4.00pm            Build and validate 6.00pm            Dinner 10.00pm          Venue closes – go home and get some rest! Tuesday 30 May 8.00am            Doors open 9.00am            Kick-off 9.30am            Experts arrive – Market intelligence, Pitching 12.00pm          First round pitching 2.00pm            The finals 3.30pm            Drinks and networking 4.30pm            Event concludes FAQs What is a hackathon? A hackathon is an event where people with a wide range of skill sets and diverse backgrounds come together to generate ideas, form teams and collaborate on a project for a short, intense period of time. The goal is to foster out-of-box thinking that leads to innovative and disruptive ideas and solutions. What if I don’t know how to program or code? No dramas! The IDEATOR isn’t only for IT projects. If you don’t know the difference between C++ and assembly, you won’t be the only one. We welcome all skill sets and perspectives, and we believe everyone has something to contribute. We need people with ideas and knowledge of lots of different industries. We need creatives and sideways thinkers. We need project managers. We need a cheer squad. Whatever your skills, you’re welcome and invited! What if I’ve never participated in a hackathon before? Even better! This is a low-pressure event meant to foster collaboration and help provide resources to promising emerging ideas. What if I don’t have my own idea to pitch? Come anyway! The ideation session is meant to help percolate new ideas to work on in teams. If you are interested in innovation and entrepreneurship, we want you there! Are there other ways to get involved? Absolutely! If you don’t want to pitch a project or join a team but still want to be involved in the energy of the event, we could always use an extra pair of hands volunteering to make sure it goes smoothly for the participants. Just reach out to us at entreneurship@monash.edu to see how to get involved. Which stream should I participate in? You can only be effective on one project at a time in a hackathon, so you’ll need to pick one theme (Food, Energy or Work), whichever is most relevant to your project or interests. We have a limited number of seats per stream, so if you are applicable across more than one but your primary stream is full, then sign up for another. What if I have a project that doesn’t fit one of the streams? Don’t despair! If you have an existing project we have other programs that it will be more suited to, but you can still come along and join a team. You don’t have to have an ongoing relationship or commitment to a team after the hackathon, just discuss what you want upfront before joining a team so expectations are clear. What should I bring with me? You’ll need to bring your own laptop and charger. Having a mobile handy will help you coordinate with your team. If you have specific things that you think will be useful to bring, you’re welcome to bring them. Bring some money and/or debit card in case you want to buy additional food or have a specific dietary requirement that we haven’t catered for. Note we will be providing afternoon tea and dinner on Monday, and morning tea, lunch and drinks and nibbles on Tuesday - so you won't go hungry! Where is the venue? How do I get there? If I drive, where do I park? 271 Collins Street, Level 7. It's best to enter via Flinders Lane and access the room via the elevators located nearest this entrance. The venue is right near Flinders Street train station and there are plenty of trams that pass and stop near the venue. If you're coming by car, there are lots of paid parking options around. Do I have to stay on-site to hack? Is this an overnight hackathon?  This is a low pressure event and we want you to get the most out of the event, and that's why it's not an overnight event. We'll provide dinner on the first night to keep you energised, but you will need to head home that evening, with doors closing at 10pm. You'll need to check back in at 9am the next morning, where we'll kick off with some more inspiration and information you'll need for the remainder of the day. We encourage you to get out of the building and talk to people about your idea, but you'll just need to be back in time for pitching! We'll finish off the event with some drinks and nibbles and a chance to network and debrief. Please Note: We like to promote our events to the Monash community and the public via our website, emails and social media and so photographs and video footage may be taken at this event. By attending this event you consent to being photographed/filmed and for Monash to use, reproduce, publish, or broadcast this content for promotional purposes. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed for these purposes, please advise a crew member at the time, or email the Generator with details of your concern.