We are living in a difficult times. The Hamas-Israel war is dividing college campuses. There has been reported incidences of conflict and violence between the students’ groups. While we are not here to dive into the politics- we condemn any form of violence and encourage our students and graduates to look out for one another. These troubling times call for ‘unity’ and ‘empathy’. We may not be able to understand the pain that both the parties are going through but what we can do as students and graduates is to think from ‘humane’ perspective. This moment calls us to dive deep into our own values and not make any hasty judgements.
We at Illume, offer our sincere condolences to students and their families affected by this war. If you are struggling, we ask you to seek support through mental health support organisations like Beyond Blue or your university support. Let’s be there for one another !
Laxmi (Director | Illume Foundation
Image source: LA Times
What’s happening at Illume Foundation?
🙌 Welcome to our Oct/Nov 2023 Cohort of Illume Startup Fellows.
The fellows will now undergo 8 weeks placement program working with some of the most innovative companies in Australia. We were excited by the caliber of this cohort and can’t wait to see them progress through their career.
🫢Missed Oct/Nov Cohort- Don’t worry!!! Our Summer 2023 Placement Program Applications are now OPEN.
Summer Startup Placement Program Details: From 4 Dec 2022 to 26 Jan 2023
Keen to explore startup career or want to get practical work experience in your field? Join Illume Startup Fellowship to develop entrepreneurial mindset, put theoretical knowledge into practice and work with some of the most innovative upcoming startups.
Through this 8 weeks cohort based program, you will:
1. meet other students and graduates across universities and faculties,
2. learn from industry guest speakers
3. mentorships in your field
4. be part of our talent pool accessed by startups and hiring companies
Learn how students’ have benefited from Illume’s program here.
Fellows’ Blog Corner
💐Congratulations to Nitish for securing your Marketing Role.
“ 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” Nitish Sharma (Illume Fellows)
Read about his experience prepare for his job.
——————————————————
VC Fellowship Program:
Did you know that you need not be a student or a recent graduate to be eligible for Illume Programs?
Our VC Fellowship Program gives you the opportunity to experience what it is like to work in a venture capital or startup investment role and if you are a founder aspiring to build a VC backable venture- this is a program that dives into what it takes to build a VC backable business and you get chance to meet some investors and VCs in the ecosystem.
"I am a scientist by profession. The program helped us to engage with the investors and paired with talented professionals to help my startup in preparing for fundraising. I highly recommend scientists with PhD backgrounds for participation in this fellowship".
Dr Subramanya RaoFounder, GutHealth Asia
Apply for our 6 weeks program: 31st Oct to 8 Dec.
Community Event & Offers:
Want to Win upto $5000 for your startup idea?
The Study Melbourne Future Founders Pitch Competition – Applications are open
· Submit your best 3-minute pitch for a chance to win up to $5,000 AUD.
· Open to current & former international students (up to 5 years post-graduation)
· Applications open until 11:59PM Sunday 29 October
· Finalists will pitch live at the Future Founders Festival evening program
· Info Session this Friday – RSVP here.
Don’t have a startup idea but would like to meet other fellow students?
The Study Melbourne Future Founders Festival
· Free full day & evening program for international students and aspiring founders wanting to find out more about entrepreneurship.
· Friday 24 November
· 10:00am – 9:00pm
· State Library Victoria
· Tickets are free!
That’s all for today folks! Stay Safe and Be Nice!