Google rolls out education series for Australian start-ups

Google is rolling out a new series of networking and tutorial events aimed at growing Australia’s start-up scene and fostering the “enormous talent” of local entrepreneurs.

Dubbed Google Sudo, the events will be a mix of panel discussions, workshops and networking opportunities.

The first event, set to take place in Sydney on May 30, is called “Starting up in Australia” and will feature speakers such as Shoes of Prey founders Mike Knapp and Michael Fox, Vivian Stewart from the Sydney Angels network and Bill Bartee of Southern Cross Venture Partners.

Google says the series of events aim to plug a knowledge gap in Australia’s start-up ecosystem, but the search giant stresses there is plenty of local talent that can catch the eye of investors both at home and overseas.

Alan Noble, Google Australia’s engineering director, tells StartupSmart: “Australians have the smarts and ideas to become successful entrepreneurs but being far from Silicon Valley, connecting with the right people with the knowledge and capital can be difficult.

“We hope Google Sudo helps entrepreneurs make those connections.”

Noble says that a number of online – via Google+ – and offline events will take place to help successful entrepreneurs “share their wisdom and experience”.

The introduction of Google Sudo comes in the wake of several Google initiatives to support Australian start-ups, such as Google Developer Days and various “hackathons”.

“We hope that providing the opportunity for entrepreneurs, VCs and angels to share their experiences and wisdom will help support and grow a thriving start-up community,” says Noble.

“Everyone benefits from Australia having a strong start-up eco-system and we think companies like Google can play a role in fostering the enormous talent we have Down Under.”

Noble stresses that the events aren’t solely for tech-only businesses.

“While there will be a focus on tech start-ups, we hope Google Sudo will be relevant and useful for any entrepreneur,” he says.

“The questions or issues facing budding entrepreneurs often go beyond any one industry, so we hope to bring together a variety of speakers and participants to provide a real diversity of experience and skills.”

This article first appeared on StartupSmart.