New Director boosts RMIT Activator

New Director boosts RMIT Activator

Support for start-ups and entrepreneurial thinking is set to take another giant stride forward, with a new Director of RMIT Activator announced today.

Matt Salier will depart his current role as Director of the Flinders University New Venture Institute (NVI) to join RMIT Activator on 12 August.

Executive Director Global Partnerships and Engagement Adam Seedsman said Salier was a perfect fit for the role.

“With demonstrated runs on the board when it comes to supporting start-ups and developing innovative education programs, we are delighted to welcome Matt to the team,” he said.

“RMIT’s mission is to provide transformative experiences for our students and Matt comes to Activator with a clear understanding of the skills and knowledge they’ll need to build successful careers or turn their enthusiasm and great ideas into established businesses.”

Matt Salier has been appointed new director of RMIT Activator Matt Salier has been appointed as the new director of RMIT Activator.

Salier founded the NVI in 2013 and built it into a highly successful incubator, with more than 350 start-ups supported, thousands of students trained in entrepreneurship and innovation skills, as well as significant executive education programs in these areas since its inception.

The father of three said innovation and entrepreneurship were “important capabilities that needed to be developed and harnessed through education.”

“The potential for future generations is really what drives my passion, and I’m really excited by the new opportunities that Activator will bring,” he said.

“It’s clear RMIT is on a substantial growth trajectory, delivering enterprise skills broadly to students and staff, and it was this sector-leading thinking that really attracted me to the role.”

Since launching in 2016, RMIT Activator has provided students and alumni with access to industry experts, mentors and shared working spaces, and the Activator Capital Fund has provided more than $1 million to early-stage ventures across 43 high potential start-ups.

Earlier this year, RMIT also announced the launch of Activator at its Ho Chi Minh City campus, with a long-term vision of establishing a thriving incubator and accelerator program in the region.

“While Activator has the unique opportunity to shape start-ups from a dynamic student base in Melbourne, this uniqueness is really amplified globally thanks to the University’s significant presence in Vietnam, Singapore, and Barcelona,” Salier said.

 

Story: Karen Phelan

13 June 2019

Share

13 June 2019

Share

  • Industry
  • Announcements
Engage

Related News

Dr. Darcy Allen on stage in front of PowerPointPowerPoint slide reading 'The Supertransition'

“We are on the cusp of a technology-driven ‘supertransition’” - RMIT expert says deep economic change is occurring with profound consequences for business

RMIT economist Dr. Darcy Allen says the world is in an economic ‘supertransition’: profound economic change driven by the simultaneous combination of technologies.

BComm_1220x732.jpg

Brand-new BCom launches for tech-minded business leaders of the future

RMIT is partnering with Accenture, ANZ, L’Oréal and Salesforce to deliver a new undergraduate degree designed for students with a keen eye on leadership.

Future Europe Series France.jpg

Future Europe Series: Latest report aims to support French investment in Victoria

The latest report out of the Future Europe Series delivered by RMIT Europe and the State of Victoria’s European Trade and Investment office, has made recommendations in skills and talent, innovation and digitalisation for French companies investing in Victoria, Australia.

Professor Allan Fels AO

“We need to put power back in the hands of the people”: former ACCC chair calls for stronger government action on corporate profiteering

Professor Allan Fels AO, former chairman of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), called for stronger government action to combat corporate profiteering, while delivering the 2024 Laurie Carmichael Lecture at RMIT University.

Show more
aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

More information