Why Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is sending messages of support to Sydney uni students

The first cohort of aspiring entrepreneurs graduating from the Sydney School of Entrepreneurship’s (SSE) pilot unit are commencing their entrepreneurial journey with an unlikely source of inspiration: a personal message of support from Jeff Bezos.

The Amazon founder has joined prominent local entrepreneurs, including Shark Tank judges Naomi Simson and Janine Allis, in sharing words of encouragement to the students who have spent two months immersed in the Sydney startup scene.

The SSE’s pilot unit — dubbed ‘The Navigator’ — kicked off in August and involved 60 university students from across New South Wales taking part in online and face-to-face study to learn how to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset.

The Navigator unit was led by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and supported by Macquarie University and Charles Sturt University.

The SSE is described by its chief executive Nick Kaye as a “wonderfully unprecedented”partnership between all 11 New South Wales universities and TAFE NSW. It was established this year with a $25 million cornerstone investment from the New South Wales government.

The first cohort of students have been participating in hands-on workshops, ecosystem scavenger hunts and online learning portals, but it wasn’t until graduation night that they experienced their first brush with international startup fame. Read more

Angela Castles - Smart Company - 13 Oct 2017