Wellington start-up base Creative HQ has partnered with Australian incubator Pollenizer to roll out the 60-Day Startup, a flexible online course that enables users to work on their startup ideas from anywhere in New Zealand.
With the only requirement being an internet connection, the 60-day programme is New Zealand’s first structured resource to help Kiwis progress very early stage startup ideas remotely.
Currently the handful of startup programmes available in New Zealand cater primarily for ventures who have formed a team, validated their idea and begun to attract customers.
For those whose idea currently exists solely on the back of a napkin, it is hard to know where to start.
The 60-Day Startup consists of 12 modules, all geared around providing practical tools and support through Lean Startup Methodology.
Designed to help new and experienced entrepreneurs alike, the course has been designed to encourage them to challenge assumptions and provide the necessary tools to find out exactly what it is customers want.
“A programme like this helps us reach out to all the budding entrepreneurs who are stuck or have got an idea but don’t know what to do with it,” says Alan Hucks, Head of Incubation, Creative HQ.
“This the first step for them to take to in realising if their idea has legs, and what to do next if it does. The point is to validate and solve real problems.”
The programme is a result of the ongoing partnership between New Zealand’s Creative HQ and Australia’s Pollenizer.
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Both companies are well known for the innovative guidance, networks and resources they provide to their respective startup communities.
“The combination of entrepreneurship and modern technology empowers people to create new businesses faster and larger than ever before,” adds Phil Morle, CEO, Pollenizer.
“For most people the hardest step of building a startup is to get started - for those who overcome that hurdle, their next big challenge is to keep their business moving forward, day after day after day.”
The programme is also predicted to be particularly beneficial to tertiary students who may have entrepreneurial ideas they wish to explore while studying.
Ideas they validate through the programme can then be taken into summer programmes currently being offered such as the Victoria Entrepreneur Bootcamp.
The course costs $199, working out to $3.30 a day and can be started at any time, rather than having to wait for other programme intakes, which are often once or twice a year.