Dear Future Entrepreneur,
We are a team of four West Australian, year 9 high school students, who through a high school program called ‘Just Start It’, have created and taken to market our own tech-enabled startup.
We had to come up with a problem that needed fixing, and each one of us had experienced social anxiety in a first or second hand way. Through research, we realised that kids with strong social groups and a good sense of purpose, build resilience and become less anxious. So, we built Passion Your Purpose, an online platform that enables school kids to find their interest groups and feel a sense of belonging.
We won the 2018 State iAwards, which gave us the opportunity to pitch at the National iAwards in Melbourne. It was an insane ride of intense preparation and huge nerves, but it was also one of the most exhilarating things we have done. We got to meet students from all around Australia, who are keen to change the world – just like us. We also got to network with some of the best startups in Australia at the gala dinner, which was awesome.
We won a Merit at the National iAwards and got to travel to China to represent Australia at the Asia Pacific ICT Awards. A complete eye opener. Students competed from all over Asia, and their hunger to succeed and collaborate was overwhelming.
The opportunity to compete at a national and international level allowed us to connect with brilliant minds. We live in such a country of opportunity, and sometimes we tend to be a little complacent. We learned a huge lesson. The students we met were inspiring and made us want to up our game. It also made us realise how lucky we are and most importantly, enabled us to grow in confidence and capability.
Weird thing – the harder you work, the more you try – the better you become. So, thank you the iAwards and APICTA!
Warmest regards,
The Passion Your Purpose Team