I've talked about ilab a couple times in various technology threads, but for those who came in late:

ilab (http://www.ilabaccelerator.com/) is a startup accelerator based in Brisbane. It is part of UniQuest, which is the commercialisation arm of several Australian universities, including the University of Queensland. (Commercialisiation in this context means taking the neat things that researches discover/build/create within the university framework and spinning them out into money-making enterprises).

ilab has a program called Germinate, which is simply described as a training and funding programme for early-stage ideas to help turn them into reality. In a nutshell, they give you funding, assistance, and support in getting your idea off the ground and making it into an actual business that generates money.

It is a really fantastic programme managed by really awesome people. I have been helping out there as what they call an "Entrepreneur in Residence", which is a lofty title for basically sitting around and helping the teams there develop their product, overcome problems, and get ready for launch.

The next Germinate programme is kicking off in the next few months and applications for it close soon.

If you have an idea for a startup - especially if you're a technical person/team that can build it - then I strongly encourage you to check it out and consider applying. It is a great way to get off the ground and an amazing learning experience.

ilab, the Queensland start-up accelerator owned by the University, is achieving great results with its Germinate Program, through its provision of support and funding for entrepreneurial people to translate ideas into businesses. The program provides up to $20,000 for resources to help build prototypes, cut code, test systems .... whatever is necessary to develop a product and business ... in a focused 3 month program that includes individual support and training from successful entrepreneurs to help build the business fast.

Applications for its next intake close Sunday 13 October 2013, and the program commences with a Business Building Bootcamp from 1 - 3 November for shortlisted applicants. During the Bootcamp, student entrepreneurs will be provided an opportunity to workshop their idea and present to a number of technical and business mentors as well as a selection panel for acceptance into the Summer Germinate Program, commencing 18 November 2013.

ilab is proudly support by the UQ Student Union, IdeaNetwork and the Queensland Government.

So apply now!

When we started AusGamers and Mammoth over a decade ago, there was nothing like this around at all so we had to basically derive everything from first principles, and of course made a lot of mistakes along the way.

Programmes like this make really help lower the bar to starting your own business and building something that is genuinely unique and yours and I can't stress enough how awesome it is as a pure learning experience - even if your company or idea never really gets off the ground you will learn heaps about business, product development, management, etc.

The startup scene in Brisbane has grown in leaps and bounds in the last couple of years; while it is far from Silicon Valley it is rapidly developing into a sustainable ecosystem and there's a lot of great talent and ideas here. It is a lot of fun and there's a lot of great people involved that are really keen to help at every step of the way. And I'm not talking about "help" like they'll happily take your money - lots of people are donating lots of time and services.

Thanks Trog, I've been playing with a CMS idea for businesses for a while now, this might be the way to connect it and get it off the ground.

Thanks Trog, I've been playing with a CMS idea for businesses for a while now, this might be the way to connect it and get it off the ground.

Do it man! Let me know if you have any questions.

interestingBut it seems kind of broad? so can you give some examples of the ideals that became projects that made it to launch and are now up and running? Just to give an idea of what kind of things you guys have been working on so as to get a better idea what you are looking for someone who isnt up to date on things that the universities have been working on?

http://www.ilabaccelerator.com/startups/ is the best place to start.

Basically the process is typically a large number of people/groups (over 100? I can't remember the exact number) apply for Bootcamp. Their applications are filtered out at a high level to give a group of maybe 30-40. These people are invited to Bootcamp, which is a short, high intensity thing where the ideas are closely scrutinised by the ilab people and various other judges (e.g., like me).

The projects range wildly - the idea is to mostly get things that can scale up quickly, so software things are a big focus. But there are a few hardware groups that are in there - including Ollo mobile (who are making a small basic mobile phone device for kids/elderly) and a bunch of engineering students who are building some really cool stuff.

There are always applicants who want to do a bunch of common things that are almost always excluded - a really regular one we see is people trying to solve the problems of the hospitality industry (e.g., "my app will make sure you can always get all the menus for all the restaurants in the world"). These are almost always too broad and too hard to build so are generally cut out. There is a group in at the moment though that found a good balance; they're starting small and just focusing on bars and bar-related deals - called Perch (they are close to launch).

So to directly answer your question: yes it is very broad! They're open to anything. But it's about building businesses, not just "making an app", so a lot of it is about uniqueness and innovation - and of course, demonstrated ability to execute.

Taking a break from an assignment, so Ill give my feedback.

The money is good. Got myself a new macbook pro and photoshop etc. Being software, you dont need much capital. But they dont just hand over a cheque, you have to justify and deliver.

The network of people you get intouch with is great. Leigh the project director, knows *everyone*. Or knows someone who knows someone.

The other thing I got from it was validation on your idea. My app is out there, albiet very small and niche market. Might not be the next killer app, but I got it to market and learnt a lot.

I have lots of ideas, so having a group to bounce ideas around and help priorities is always good.

The program (I dont think) isnt there to make $ like angle investors. I guess its the gov putting money in to kick start stuff. Also, we then used the $ to pay some local contractors, so I guess it has a multiplier effect too.

Time frames are aggressive. I wasnt too keen on that. I know how software projects can get delayed. But we delivered.

The other thing is no one will hold your hand. Mentors will offer advise and their time, but its up to you to get off your ass and make things happen.

Defiantly have a go, no one minds "failing forward" and will build your pitching skills anyway.

[Plug: Anyone interested in bitcoins check out http://www.meetup.com/BrisbaneBitCoin/]

I'm in the process of launching my own business, co-founded with some other chaps, is software also. My first time, but a couple of the guys on the team are successful entrepreneurs having started, run and sold quite a few big businesses. It's one hell of a f*****g journey!

I'd recommend doing anything you can to ease the process if you're going to do a start-up, accelerators are great if it's a good one. Quite a few of them in the US and London have turned out to be a bit s***, but that might juts be because they're a lot more prevalent over there.

Great to see some cool start-up action in the brizzle!