Sydney doctor named among world’s 50 best new start-ups

A start-up launched by a Sydney doctor to aid paediatric care in remote Aboriginal communities has been named among the world’s 50 most innovative new businesses by Global Entrepreneurship Week.

Learnmed is the only Australian venture to make it into the top 50 businesses, which will compete in the Startup Open competition for the title as the world’s best start-up during Global Entrepreneurship Week, which starts on November 12.

The top 50, chosen from more than 400 applications, includes start-ups from 17 different countries, representing industries including clean tech, life sciences, agriculture and transportation.

The businesses had to describe their “start-up moment” achieved over the past year and are judged on concept, growth projections and industry knowledge.

Learnmed is the brainchild of Sydney paediatrician Tessa Davis. It is a social enterprise that will charge $350 for yearly subscriptions to online tutorials for doctors.

A number of doctors from the UK and Sydney Children’s Hospital, where Davis works, have contributed short films on specialist subjects for trainees.

Money raised from the venture, set to be launched next month, will be used to teach paediatric first aid courses in remote indigenous communities.

“The ultimate goal is to train people to teach the courses in these communities,” says Davis. “The platform for the first part of the business, the online tutorials, is global and can be applied to other industries, such as law or engineering.”

“We will have short, focused, high quality content that will hold the attention and help people pass their exams.”

“I applied to the Global Entrepreneurship Week after I saw it on Twitter as it looked perfect for me. There are quite a few really good start-ups on the top 50 list.”

The Startup Open competition is backed by various bodies, including Startup Weekend, while the wider Global Entrepreneurship Week, set to cover 125 countries this year, is sponsored by Dell.

The winner from the top 50 list will go as a delegate to Rio de Janiero for the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in March next year. Other winners will receive mentorship help for their business.

For a complete list of the GEW 50 click here