Startups Focus on SydStart Spring 2012 and 8XS Great South By
About this time two years ago, Sydney based entrepreneur and investor Pete Cooper told me about an event he was putting together for people in the startup scene in Sydney.
That became the first SydStart event in 2010 at the Australian Technology Park, with about 165 startups, students, investors and others participating and very positive feedback.
The event has sure grown.
Just two years on, SydStart Spring 2012, is expecting somewhere in the region of 1,500 to the exhibit and around 1,000 inside the auditorium at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, on September 10.
SydStart Spring 2012 will be the main event for a range of events in Sydney, nationally, regionally, being grouped as 8SX.
Why 8SX?
In Pete Cooper’s words:
It is modelled on (South by South-West, in the US they call it simply ‘South-by’) based in Austin Texas. Since we are in Australia – also known as the ‘Great (gr8) South Land’ – we call it Great South By, or 8SX for short. And we think there are infinite opportunities for startups in South-East Asia.
The 8SX vision is to build out from SydStart a national and regional startup movement encompassing Asia and Oceania.
8SX as a focal point for innovation in this populous region.
What’s been the experience of participants in SydStart?
Check out this video for some sound bites and energy that jumps off the screen.
How to book
Given the exponential growth of interest in SydStart over just two years, my hunch is it would be a good idea for anyone interested to grab a seat now for September 10. Attendance prices are very reasonable and the early bird prices even more so.
In the meantime, you can keep up with developments by following SydStart on Twitter and like the 8SX Facebook page.
And if you have your own startup event in Australia or the region, why not see about linking it up with 8SX?
Image credit: Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, by JamesatUni, Flickr, CC BY 2.0
Des Walsh
Business coach and digital entrepreneur. With coach training from Coachville.com and its Graduate School of Coaching, and a founding member of the International Association of Coaching, Des has been coaching business owners and entrepreneurs for the past 20 years. Over the same period he has also been actively engaged in promoting the business opportunities of the digital economy. He is a certified Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) coach, and a certified specialist in social media strategy and affiliate marketing.