Setting the Scene
We kicked off with opening remarks from Dr Brandon Carp, President of ASME, followed by insights from NSW Health leaders at the Agency for Clinical and the Office for Health and Medical Research on how the system is supporting innovation.
Anne O’Neill shared valuable advice on grant programs available for both early and late-stage innovators.
Andrew Milat outlined the new ACI strategy and highlighted how programs like ours align with its ambitions.
Lessons from Those Who’ve Been There
Hearing from alumni was a highlight. Elizabeth Jones and Nathan Moore - graduates of the program - spoke candidly about their journey as clinical entrepreneurs.
Nathan, formerly a nurse educator, said AUSCEP was the spark that gave him the confidence to explore entrepreneurship. Both he and Elizabeth opened up about the realities of balancing family, finances, and risk when starting out.
Key takeaways from their reflections:
Elizabeth also left us with a memorable analogy: the iPod. At first, it seemed like a “nice-to-have.” But once you had one, you’d never go back. Entrepreneurs, she reminded us, must learn to distinguish between a true problem and a passing novelty.
Inspiration from Experience
We also heard from Jay Spence, who shared the journey of building Uprise, an EAP program that’s grown into a significant success story.
Each participant received a welcome gift: an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure book authored by Reuben Schwarz, one of our AUSCEP mentors (who will be joining us later in the program).
Celebrating Together
We closed the launch with an evening gathering at the Greenwood Hotel in North Sydney, joined by our delivery partners FPA Patent Attorneys and LUNA, along with alumni and friends of the program.
The momentum doesn’t stop here. Next up, Victoria and New South Wales will reunite on 15th October for our session on Understanding the Solution.
Click the Learn More button below to view the recap of both pitstop one & two.
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