Students Experience

From Biomedicine graduate to LLM enthusiast, meet Illume’s May-Jul’24 Startup Fellows.

We are amazed by the quality of talent that exists in our universities. From Biomedicine graduate to data-science to marketing to our most popular stream- software development, these 11 Fellows will embark on their 12 weeks fellowship journey immersing themselves in startup environment, working directly with the founders of innovative emerging startups and developing their entrepreneurial mindset and network to accelerate their career and eventually build their own startup. Introducing Illume’s May-July 2024 Startup Fellow  This batch of Fellows represent students and graduates across Australian universities, from 1st year Computer Science student interested in LLM to a recent graduate working on building scalable backend technology, having started his own tech ventures in his home country; Marketing graduate who also built her startup; fellow who is combining finance degree to data science to work at the nexus of technology and business and an avid gamer combining her love for game and technology development and a bio-medicine graduate keen to plunge into the world of innovative healthcare. These fellows not only bring their impressive backgrounds but showcase their willingness to push the boundaries.  And even more impressive was the fact that 82% of this cohort are Women students and graduates who are making their way into the tech sector. Our Host Startups This fellowship would not be possible without the support of our startup ecosystem. Thank you to all the participating startup hosts . Our founders who are willing to give these talents a go, are moved by their desire to give back despite their busyness of building a startup, creating projects and learning environments to develop these talents. Our host startups are working on frontier technologies and the future of industries like Medtech and Healthtech, AI & Automation, Enterprise softwares, giving our fellows exposure and hands-on experience on new technologies. “Because I got to work with new tools during my startup experience, I was able to stay relevant and showcase my learning curve which helped me land a job despite no initial tech background”, Jojo Wang (Illume Fellow) from Business to Software Developer role. This is only the beginning for these Fellows as they venture into the professional world. They will be supported throughout their journey through Illume Foundation’s Venture Building Community. If you’re a company that would like to support our talent please get in touch with us, [email protected]. If you’re a student, graduate or a professional seeking to get work experience at a startup or venture capital and build your career in the field of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship, check out our internship and fellowship programs. Course credit internships are offered for university students. By: Illume Team

Breaking into a Marketing Role

By Nitish Sharma (lllume Fellow) Imagine giving utmost importance to academic qualifications and grades for multiple years but still not be able to land a job, despite strenuous efforts. Difficult to understand, isn’t it? I was in this boat not long ago. Despite graduating from one of the most reputed Universities, I found it difficult to land up a job, especially as an international student. I attended several interviews but none of them converted into a job. I went through Illume Startup Fellowship towards the end of my degree. Through Illume I was able to meet other students and felt instantly connected. They were international students like me and all navigating their career journey. I had the opportunity to intern at Boobobutt, a Melbourne-based startup revolutionising parenting for new parents. My role as a marketing intern was to understand the startups’ customers, come up with marketing plans, content writing and social media strategies. This role helped me take my theoretical marketing skills from university to apply directly to a startup environment. I had to learn a few new tools like Mailchimp, understand Google SEO and content writing and social media strategies. One thing that struck me was that having a degree is not so much more important than what you can actually contribute to a startup. Through my university course, I had a high level strategic understanding but I was lacking a practical skill set. I had to learn these new skills and tools if I were to add value to a company. I found startup experience as a great way to do that. In addition, the guest speakers at Illume sessions brought fresh perspectives to look at my career. I could feel that I was no longer in my own bubble but that the guest speakers started somewhere too. I could now relate to them and to my cohort members. During the program, we had to come up with a startup idea of our own and I loved collaborating with my cohort members to come up with the idea and to pitch it at the end of the program, developing my communication skills which is a must for a Marketing person. My 1:1 interaction with Laxmi helped me refine my career strategies as well as the opportunity to interview with a couple of companies. I just landed up a role in Marketing now and I credit this to my experience at Illume. I do encourage any students or graduates to gain work experience before graduating like I did and esp to marketing students- it’s a competitive field and the only way to stand out is to have skills and know your tools to add value to a company. By Nitish Sharma (Illume Fellow)

Crafting Confidence: My Journey through Illume’s Startup Fellowship

I believe that professional programs serve as bridges between aspirations and accomplishments. In this article, I will delve into my illuminating journey within the Illume Foundation’s Startup Fellowship Program. From hands-on experiences to entrepreneurial skills, this program allowed me to immerse myself in the world of startups and learn invaluable lessons. 📝 Learning and Growth  One of the most profound outcomes of this fellowship has been the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Stepping out of my comfort zone became a norm, enabling me to embrace new learning opportunities. Key lessons that resonate with my professional aspirations include: · Project Hustling: The ability to independently secure and manage projects has become a valuable asset, opening avenues for freelancing opportunities. · Confident Communication: The fellowship empowered me to communicate confidently with new individuals, enhancing my networking skills and session participation. · Stretching Boundaries: Simultaneously handling multiple projects pushed me beyond my comfort zone, fostering growth in adaptability and time management. · Vocalising Ideas: The most impactful lesson learned was to voice ideas, needs, and actions assertively — a practice that aligns with my future goals. 🤝 Mentorship and Guidance Mentorship in this program played a dual role in my journey, offering insights to support my industry endeavours and envisioning an entrepreneurial path. Two valuable pieces of advice stood out: · Emotional Detachment: Entrepreneurs emphasized not getting emotionally attached to ideas and focusing on user needs over what we can provide them; a principle that parallels my user experience design training. · Balancing Business and Satisfaction: Striking an equilibrium between sustainable business and customer contentment was an essential lesson to bridge the gap between my academic UX knowledge and industry demands.  💪 Embracing Collaboration, Overcoming Challenges, and Achieving Confidence My fellowship experience was defined by collaboration, highlighting the significance of teamwork through startup internships and joint projects. We tackled challenges, including communication hiccups, through open dialogue and shared objectives, reinforcing unity’s power in pursuing common goals. Among other challenges, multitasking emerged as a significant hurdle. Juggling diverse tasks within tight deadlines posed initial difficulties. However, strategic planning and efficient time management strategies enabled me to conquer these challenges, leading to streamlined task completion. Above all, my journey highlighted newfound confidence as the most remarkable achievement. Whether fearlessly sharing ideas, actively pursuing opportunities, or confidently networking with strangers, this newfound self-assurance has proven transformative in both personal and professional spheres. 🙌 Nurturing Bonds and Reflecting on Growth Reflecting on the impact of the Illume Foundation Startup Fellowship, I find that this journey forged invaluable friendships and professional ties. It not only demonstrated the lasting significance of maintaining connections beyond the fellowship but also equipped me with indispensable skills, insights, and unwavering confidence. This experience has undoubtedly charted a new course for my career, and I am grateful for the transformative growth it has sparked. As I step into the future, I carry forward the lessons learned, eagerly anticipating their application to novel challenges. To fellow professionals, I extend a call to action- Embrace the potential influence of fellowship programs within your domains. Embrace opportunities that can reshape your journey and propel your growth to unprecedented heights. Written by: Tanuj Aggarwal (Illume Fellow’ ‘23) Connect with Tanuj on LinkedIn.  

My journey as a VC Investment Analyst

I am Riddhesh, a Finance enthusiast, currently completing my CFA. This winter, I dived into the world of Venture Capital. While I have had exposure to investment landscape through by degree at the University of Sydney and an internship at an investment fund, I never really had much explore to the early-stage startup investment. Thanks to Illume Foundation, I had the opportunity to experience as an Investment Analyst at Illume Ventures, where I explored the world of VC investing. It helped me understand and apply various financial models, interpret how VC’s approach investments and some key criteria and metrics that VC’s use to evaluate the startups and investments. I’d like to share some of the key concepts I learned through my experience. Understanding what is Venture Capital and who are Venture Capitalists. Venture capital, a dynamic subset of investment, that propels innovation and growth in budding startups. Venture capitalists (VCs) are the driving force behind this ecosystem, playing a pivotal role in shaping the entrepreneurial landscape. Venture capital involves investing in early-stage companies with high growth potential in exchange for equity. These startups often lack the capital needed to transform their groundbreaking ideas into viable products or services. This is where venture capitalists step in, offering not just funds, but also strategic guidance, mentorship, and networking opportunities. VCs are typically seasoned investors with an appetite for risk. They seek startups with disruptive ideas, scalable models, and robust market potential. In return for their investment, VCs acquire ownership stakes in these startups, aligning their success with the company’s growth. The venture capitalist’s journey begins with meticulous due diligence. They analyse a startup’s business plan, market opportunity, technology, team, and competitive landscape. If convinced of the startup’s potential, VCs provide funding in exchange for equity. This infusion of capital enables startups to refine their products, expand their customer base, and scale operations. However, venture capital is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s a high-stakes game where risk and reward go hand-in-hand. Many startups fail, but those that succeed can yield substantial returns. VCs diversify their portfolios to mitigate risks, investing in multiple startups across various industries. In conclusion, venture capital is a dynamic investment strategy that fuels innovation and supports the growth of startups. Venture capitalists are risk-takers who provide not only capital but also mentorship and expertise. They play a critical role in nurturing early-stage companies, turning visionary ideas into reality and driving economic progress. What I learnt during the Fellowship? During the Fellowship Program, I had the opportunity to learn about the startup life, VC insights from guest speakers like Andrew Loh from Ecotone Partners as well as founders and assess in Due diligence for a startup raising Series A funding. Andrew touched upon various topics like the role of VC’s, how they determine startups while making investments and some of the key metrics used by VC’s to evaluate investments, emerging trends in the VC world, his views on ESG integration into investments and how early startups can be investment ready. Andrew and most VCs for early stage startups look at the ‘Team’ or people behind the startup. Understanding how the founders started the company, their vision can tell a lot about founders and help us in DD process. Other things included, market opportunity (TAM, SAM, SOM) which is the potential market that the startup can capture and the market available to them. It is also important to understand the future of the opportunity and the ‘potential risk’. While startups are by default risky. It is important to identify if they are existential risk or things that startups have not validated yet. As the founders shared their founding story, it was clear that startups are constantly ‘pivoting’ and they might start with one thing but land up building a very different thing as they get to understand their customers more. These were all very valuable lessons. And of course working with the company that was fundraising allowed me the dive into data room that provided further knowledge on what VCs look for into those data room. I also researched on ‘Valuation’. How do you value a startup? a SaaS? I came across lot of knowledge articles and frameworks but one thing is that there is no RIGHT or WRONG valuation. How you value your company might be different to how VCs value and as an Analyst, I had to ensure that I used industry knowledge, insights and numbers to back the valuation. I enjoyed this process a lot as it gave me opportunity to learn new framework but also apply financial theory into practice. Why did I choose investment management as a field? I chose investment management as my field of focus due to its blend of analytical rigour and strategic decision-making. This dynamic field allows me to merge my passion for finance with my aptitude for critical thinking. Investment management is a captivating realm where every decision is guided by comprehensive research and analysis. The challenge of dissecting complex financial data to identify trends and opportunities is intellectually stimulating. It’s a field that demands constant learning and adaptation, ensuring that I am always at the forefront of market dynamics. Moreover, investment management offers the chance to make a tangible impact on individuals’ financial futures and the overall economy. Crafting effective investment strategies can pave the way for financial growth, security, and the achievement of long-term goals. The ever-evolving nature of global markets keeps me engaged and curious. The pursuit of optimal investment outcomes requires a blend of quantitative skills and the ability to navigate the intricacies of risk and reward. In essence, investment management aligns with my thirst for knowledge, my affinity for strategic thinking, and my desire to contribute positively to individuals’ financial well-being. It’s a field that not only offers professional growth but also empowers me to play a significant role in shaping financial success stories. How did I get a job in this field? Securing a job in the investment management industry as a fresh graduate was a journey marked by

From Architecture to UX Design: My Journey of Self-Discovery

Hi, I’m Amber, a recent Design graduate. When I walked across the stage at the University of Melbourne to receive my degree in Architecture Design, it felt like a culmination of years of hard work and dedication. Little did I know, however, that my path would soon take an unexpected turn towards a different passion: User Experience (UX) Design. My journey into UX design began with a simple realisation that while I loved the creative and structural aspects of architecture, I found myself drawn more towards the user-centric approach to design. I was fascinated by the idea of crafting digital experiences that not only looked beautiful but also worked seamlessly to improve people’s lives. That’s when I decided to pivot towards UX design. One of the remarkable aspects of the UX field is that it’s accessible to self-learners. Armed with determination and a thirst for knowledge, I embarked on a journey of self-teaching. I devoured online courses, and joined UX communities to absorb as much as I could. It was a challenging but immensely rewarding process. As my UX skills evolved, I knew I needed real-world experience to truly understand the intricacies of the field. That’s when I stumbled upon Illume Foundations, a platform that connects aspiring students, graduates and early entrepreneurs with startups. It was the perfect opportunity for me to bridge the gap between my architectural background and my newfound passion for UX. I had the opportunity to work with startups from Farmers2Founders Program. Working with agritech startups opened my eyes to a world of innovation and entrepreneurship. I was privileged to meet inspiring founders and their startups such as Favoom, an agri-food startup, and Certmate, a bio-security app startup. The founders were determined to revolutionize the agricultural industry through technology. Their dedication was contagious, and I felt privileged to be part of their journey by improving the web user experience of their platform. Seeing how my designs enhanced their product and made it more user-friendly was incredibly satisfying. However, my growth during this journey wasn’t limited to just my professional skills. I also honed my soft skills, such as teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. Working closely with diverse teams taught me the importance of effective collaboration and adaptability. In retrospect, my transition from architecture to UX design was not just a career change; it was a journey of self-discovery. I found my true passion in UX, and I’m grateful for every step of the way that led me here. So, here’s to embracing change, following your heart, and continuously learning. Who knows where your own journey might take you, but one thing’s for sure — it will be an adventure worth taking. By Amber Chen (Illume Fellow’ 23) Connect with me on LinkedI

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Lockdown Easing, Time to Network Effectively and Land Your Dream Role!

With Melbourne’s lockdown opening, it was just the right time to learn about Networking Effectively and putting your best foot forward with two amazing guest speakers, @Diletta (Startup Founder, Connector & Enabler) and @Elena, Founder of GippsTech and an Ex-Googler. If you are wondering how I get to attend an event with such great speakers it’s because I am part of the @IllumeFoundation Fellowship program which focuses on supporting graduates like myself to kickstart our career by securing our first internship or landing our dream jobs. Plus we get to meet amazing startup founders and mentors every week. I’d like to share some of the things I learnt during the sessions. You can network anywhere and it is not just for extroverts. What is important is to network with intention and be prepared. Oftentimes, we send LinkedIn or any social media connection requests without much thought, let alone sharing our goal/motive behind the connection. This might turn into a fruitless connection, so Delietta’s suggestion was to make the invite to connect ‘personal’ and even share why you’d like to connect. Another important aspect of Networking is the ‘Giver/Taker Mindset’. How many times have you thought of ‘what can I offer in the networking session rather than thinking what am I going to get out of this networking session?’ I certainly haven’t thought about this.    The givers tend to think about what value they can bring to the company or the industry, takers focus on what they can get during the networking event. With the giver’s mindset, we can make deeper connections which can lead to hidden opportunities. This made me realise I need to start Networking right!  Elena’s session on thinking innovatively around your career was exactly what I needed to hear as I begin to look for job opportunities when I graduate in a month’s time. Elena’s career is so fascinating- starting as a PhD Researcher to leading Google’s Product team to now bringing economic activity in Regional Victoria with her company GippsTech, she is an inspiration to many young, women professionals like me. Her transition to each of these roles was tied to 1) where can I learn 2) where can I make an impact in society 3) where can I work with amazing people. This was ‘GOLD’. Her suggestion to budding founders- before starting out, discuss your ideas with mentors, networks, friends, family. This helps to learn, evaluate and adjust the plan if needed. My favorite part of the session- To be successful in any interview is a combination of preparation, luck and saying the right things. She spent 100 hours of interview preparation for her role at Google. She elaborated how practicing mock interviews with different people helped her to be confident and analyse what not to say. I now have 90 more hours to go… Lastly, it is always great to learn how employers view junior graduate staff, particularly at a startup so we can be prepared when we apply- It is not just enough to have technical skills but have the knowledge of the big picture,  such as company goals, client needs and the ability to do quick product iteration and evaluation. This makes networking and building relationships with coworkers or supervisors very important and to be on track with their organisation’s progress. I would like to thank Laxmi Pun for providing a platform to learn new ideas and opportunities and my fellow cohorts at Illume Foundation for a great learning experience and I would like to extend my thanks to my fellow cohort member Hongleang Lim for his help on putting this blog together.

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5 Things That I Learnt From Illume

“5 things that I learnt from Illume that helped in my career breakthrough” I finished my 8-week fellowship with Illume Foundation. I was fortunate to know about this opportunity from Manorani Guy through one of her LinkedIn posts. I applied for it straight away and got an interview call from Laxmi Pun Throughout the fellowship, I met a lot of successful people and got valuable lessons in creative thinking through weekly workshops alongside fireside chats. I was also provided with the opportunity to involve with Startup Gippsland and learn from various mentors as well as understand the steps involved in creating an actual startup from scratch. My learning from the fellowship: ⭐ Always be open to opportunities. ⭐ Discuss with mentor(s) what your career goals are and how to achieve them? ⭐ Being busy is just an excuse, create time for such valuable sessions. ⭐ Amazing people and their success journey. ⭐ Think smart, be agile and keep oneself on the toes for new learning. I will surely recommend to get in touch with Laxmi Pun for the Autumn 2021 edition of this fellowship program. Thank you to my fellow mates as well. Please keep in touch Sarocha Wuttipong Himani Dave Sandra Castro Nidzam Shah Hussain Finally, I would like to thank each and everyone who taught me some important lessons both in life and in a professional environment to become successful.  At the end of the program, I was able to secure a job in my field as IT support working for Client like Asahi through the Illume Foundation.Willian Korim, PhDMei Sian PohJames MuirSiddhant (Sid) ShresthaJordan TewRichard HurstDiletta LegowoSangeeta MulchandaniJane BarrMadeleine McKenzie Celeste Maturen Iris GaillardLeanne ClothierSebastian Farias

Being an International Student…

“Being an international student, it is difficult to get such work experience while you’re studying and I always thought I am not ready for it. How Illume Foundation helped me get my first job in Australia”,  Extremely happy to share that I have recently started a new role as a Business Process Analyst at Pro-mentor. We are working on a project for doing Business Process Mapping at Bupa Dental Australia, which is very exciting! Being an international student, it is difficult to get such work experience while you’re studying and I always thought I am not ready for it. Fortunately, however, I got to know about this wonderful opportunity from Laxmi Pun and then I got the encouragement I needed to go in this direction. Now, I am going to learn many more new things even before I graduate !! It’s amazing to apply my theoretical learning into practice and that to for analysing the processes at Bupa Dental Australia! I am pleased to share that I recently completed my 8-week #fellowship program from Illume Foundation. It was indeed a great opportunity for me to learn and develop new skills and connect with people having great ambitions. I got to know about this opportunity from a LinkedIn post of VicWISE and Manorani Guy and then I applied for it. A few days later, I got an email from Laxmi Pun for the interview and I was fortunate enough to get such opportunity before graduating! During the Internship, I worked with multiple startups from Startup Gippsland program. I learnt the way new #startups work and processes involved in it. A big thanks to Therese Gorton Paul Gorton Madeleine McKenzie Jane Barr for giving me the opportunity to work for your startup. I loved doing the tasks I was allocated to do. Many thanks to all the mentors Willian Korim, PhD James Muir Diletta Legowo Jordan Tew Siddhant (Sid) Shrestha Sangeeta Mulchandani Celeste Maturen Elaha Gurgani Richard Hurst Will Chu Sebastian Farias for guiding us by sharing your inspiring career journey. All the sessions from Illume Foundation were worth attending. It motivated me a lot. I strongly recommend joining Illume Foundation Fellowship Program in their upcoming editions. Lastly, I want to thank Laxmi Pun for believing in us and always encouraging us to do our best. Thanking you all my fellow cohorts Sarocha Wuttipong Kaustubh Ilmulwar (Kosta) Sandra Castro Nidzam Shah Hussain GITHASAI NARALASETTY Basil Varghese and our program coordinator Mei Sian Poh for assisting me throughout the fellowship! 🙂

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Entrepreneurial and Networking Skills…

Entrepreneurial and networking skills through practical experience adds value to my career & life” I have finished my 2-month Fellowship Program with Illume Foundation. With this great opportunity from the foundation, I have learnt and developed great entrepreneurial and networking skills through practical experience with amazing startup founders from Startup Gippsland. I must say I have learnt many things from Laxmi Pun and Willian Korim, PhD which will definitely add value to my life and career as well. During the program, I worked with Madeleine McKenzie to reach out to some aged care facilities, analyse the customer segment, and prepare her for pitching night. Given this opportunity, I have learnt a lot of insightful ideas and the different processes involved in starting up a new business that brings so much value to the community. I would like to give a big thank you to Madeleine McKenzie for giving me this opportunity to work for your startup – Cabaret on Call, and learn valuable lessons. Apart from that, I would like to shout out to all the mentors Laxmi Pun, Willian Korim, PhD, James Muir, Siddhant (Sid) Shrestha, Sahan Samal, Sangeeta Mulchandani, Diletta Legowo, Celeste Maturen, Elaha Gurgani, Richard Hurst, and Jordan Tew for supporting and opening my eyes to new stages of opportunity and strength to build throughout the whole journey. Highly recommend to get in touch with Laxmi Pun for more astonishing experiences like this with Illume Foundation. Thank you to my fellow cohorts Himani Dave, Kaustubh Ilmulwar (Kosta), Nidzam Shah Hussain, Sandra Castro, Githasai Naralasetty, and Basil Varghese. Also, thank you to our program coordinator Mei Sian Poh for the assistance throughout the program. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who has assisted and taught me new perspectives and maintain this journey to achieve my dream career – Christine Lenghaus, Kerryn Vaughan, Jack Clayfield, Abhijit Bhaumik, Shweta Singh, LamLam (ZhiLin) Luo, Stephen Angus, Luke Marshall, David Humphreys, Tanya Heaney-Voogt -Helping Leaders Transform Workplaces, Jane Barr, Katie Dawson.

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