Forging new ways to work in a socially distant world
During these unprecedented times, RMIT Activator is investing in our most vital asset - our startups - and how we deliver value through connection.
Now more than ever, merging the digital and human experience is becoming a differentiator and Activator has done just that through the rollout of an exciting program software.
With proven impact, measurement and efficiency on our shopping list, we went straight to the best in class - Accelerator App. Adopted by over 80 accelerators and incubators with more than 60,000 users globally, this highly customisable platform serves as a centralised place to automate tasks, track data, manage events and more.
“Accelerator App is great in bringing everything that Activator does together, creating a platform for the full Activator community to come together and engage,” said Hanneke Mallegrom, Head of Operations at Activator.
“As a public institution, it’s extremely important that we are being evaluated by the impact of our programs. The features on this platform collects the data that we need to inform us of our impact, and we weren’t able to do this before Accelerator App.”
Here are three ways that Activator is forging new ways of working with Accelerator App:
1) Creating new ways to get mentorship
Partnering founders with mentors from our Activator Talent Collective is of upmost importance at Activator.
“The wisdom and knowledge from one who has walked the path is extremely important for a budding startup, especially as they begin to scale,” said Elizabeth Burke, Relationships Coordinator at RMIT Activator.
“Accelerator App will enable us to scale our mentoring program and deliver an enhanced experience. Mentor support is a lifeline to businesses having to navigate challenging economic conditions and shifting customer preferences.”
With its in-built productivity tools, the community can easily schedule meetings with their mentors while mentors can track the progress of their mentees and set metrics for startups to report on.
“These functions allows us to see what milestones or specific goals are set out for them,” said Hanneke.
“It also provides clarity on where startups are on their journey so we can better judge which mentor they should be introduced to.”
Our broader goal is to foster a culture of giving back in our community. Current founders can eventually become mentors to those who need require guidance, and Accelerator App removes the hassle in facilitating that.
2) Streamline operations across our Asia Pacific community
We wanted to better merge our Melbourne operations with RMIT Activator Vietnam to leverage our Asia Pacific network and build a truly global community.
With the automated logistics features on Accelerator App, we can now translate procedures across our international team without hassle, heightening our global efficiencies. For example, the online applications process we used for the recent LaunchHUB recruitment in Melbourne can be easily replicated for the LaunchHUB program at Activator Vietnam.
Accelerator App also includes a directory where all users are searchable within the community. One can easily search for someone based on their skills and role to find the right talent to connect with. Our community members can now access a wider pool of talent and knowledge.
3) Make internal events accessible to both Australia and Vietnam campus
RMIT Activator is the hub for experiential and entrepreneurial education at RMIT University. As we shifted our face-to-face events online, we wanted our offerings to reach beyond our Melbourne community.
The centralised calendar feature on Accelerator App makes it easy to list events and provide documents and information for participants. Wherever founders are around the world, they can filter through our opportunities – workshops, masterclasses, Lunch n Learn, networking sessions – and register for any of them on the same platform.
This makes it easier for our team to track attendance and collect feedback. By saving time on data collection, our team becomes more agile as we focus on delivering value to our community.
We live in challenging times where the future of work remains unclear. However, as uncertainties abound, so do opportunities. With social distancing, what seemed like a negative turned into a positive when we opened ourselves to new ways of working.
Agile, innovative and lean – we teach and trust in these principles to forge a better future for all of us.
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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.