The Power of Now: I am glad I did it in 2019!

Well, Queensland is back in hard lockdown. Hopefully, this lockdown won't need to last past the planned three days. But the lockdown has already disrupted my family's plans. I bought tickets for Bluey's Big Play for my niece and nephew. They were supposed to have gone to the show on Saturday the 9th. Of course, now Saturday was day 1 of lockdown. QPAC issued refunds but given my niece is 5 and nephew is 2.5, they don't care about that, they cared about Bluey!

Of course, the Bluey Play is new. So this was the first time we could plan to see it. But that's not true of other things. That is why, through the COVID crisis, I found myself thinking "I am glad I did it in 2019!"

I had a packed 2019. That was the year I undertook the MIT Bootcamp. It was also the year I was part of the Impact Boom Elevate+, and finally, it was also the year I attended the Launch conference.

MIT Bootcamp did not come to Brisbane in 2020. I am not sure there were any in-person boot camps in 2020. Impact Boom Elevate+ did take place but shifted to Zoom. So I could have still taken part, but it would have been a different experience. Also, I tend to be less engaged with other people in the cohort in a virtual setting. I mean, there are online MIT Bootcamps. They are cheaper and more convenient. But given where I was before the Bootcamp, I don't think I would have gotten as much out of the experience if it wasn't face-to-face.

Also, there was no Launch Festival in 2020, and I don't think there will be one in 2021. Maybe if a critical mass of people is vaccinated by 2022 both here in Australia and the US, there might be another Launch Festival. But then are things that won't happen ever again.

One of the victims of COVID-19 was QUT CEA. In 2019, I was part of the QUT CEA one-day boot camp, which was the final selection step for their accelerator: Collider. We didn't make the final cut, but I am glad Josari got as far as it did. I also made a point of attending the Collider Pitch Day to see how far the finalists got in the time they had in the accelerator. This is an experience I won't get again.

There is a tendency we have as humans to put things off. Alternatively, we can hitch change to specific dates and times. I do this all the time with exercising and eating right. "I'll start tomorrow," I say to myself, but tomorrow I find another excuse. Then something like COVID comes along and reminds you that you can't just put off experiences or activities. So I am glad I did all the things I did in 2019. Because I couldn't have done them or done them the same way in 2020 and my life would be less rich for it.

So say yes to the conference, to the boot camp, to travel, to shows, to whatever, today because you don't know what will happen tomorrow.

Brisbane Women in Blockchain: First meetup for me but not for most of the women there!

Quite randomly, I ran across the Brisbane Women in Blockchain meetup announcement. So I tagged along since the topic of the discussion was AI. It was an interesting discussion coming from the panel consisting of Katrina Donaghy of Civic Ledger and Tracy Kay of Axalon. I was especially intrigued by the idea that AI-powered tasks that did something, like decode images, would be harnessed to write blocks.

Right now, writing new blocks on a blockchain is mostly a “make work” function. Algorithms solve a computational puzzle, and the fastest to solve is the one given the right to add a block to the blockchain. The idea is that the “proof of work”, instead of being something a make-work task like solving a puzzle, can be something useful like analysing a medical image. At least that’s how I understood the concept.

Overall, the discussion was too high level. I was hoping for a more a more of a deep dive into the topic of AI. But the discussion was kept at a higher concept level. But I think that was more because I happen to pick a meetup that was doubling as new member recruitment and a retrospective.

Indeed, I gathered this is a close-knit meetup with a fair few women being regular attendees. Given my terrible track record for Women Who Code, I am not sure if I’ll be able to become one of the regulars. But this meetup did intrigue me and reminded me that I wanted to explore blockchain and their application more. So maybe I should spend some time developing a blockchain powered idea and get around building it!

SheEO: Activating in Australia!

Last Wednesday, I attended the Brisbane “activation” event for SheEO. The SheEO model brings together 500 women, called Activator (thus an activation event) who contribute $1100 each as an “act of radical generosity”. The money is polled together and loaned out at 0% interest to five women-led ventures selected by the Activators each year. The goal is to have a perpetual fund that continues, funding women-led ventures.

I think it’s a great idea that borrows from endeavours like the Grameen Bank, which was cited by Monica Bradley the MC for the night. SheEO’s first goal is to find 500 women in Australia, but on the night, they made clear it would great to have 500 women in Queensland alone! I don’t know if they will succeed, but I certainly wish them well. I will certainly keep them in mind in the coming year for possible activation.

The main guest speaker for the night was Carly Brown, Founder of UNE Piece, whose company fits the mould for a venture that can apply to the SheEO fund. Because the SheEO fund has a simple criterion, do you have an annual turnover of $50,000? If so, you can apply. I gather UNE Piece is up there and so can apply.

I like the simplicity of the application process. It really is about the “wisdom of the crowd” or rather, the wisdom of the 500 Activators. I can see pitfalls with the model but overall, it can be better than having “a process”. It sounds weird but I am reminded of a recent tweet by Peter Laurie regarding the “process” of application. I.e. some teams understand the process better than others. But it doesn’t mean they are a better startup then another that isn’t as good at process deconstruction. In many ways that is not too dissimilar to publication or grant applications in the academic world or even Oscar nominations. If you have a process, it can be gamed. So maybe just relying on 500 women with skin in the game, in the form of money, might be the way to go!

Few things make me more stressed than rapidly assessing a startup from an application form and a short video.

Some teams understand the process, some don't. I worry about how well that correlates with quality of the startup.

— Peter Laurie (@pjlaurie) November 9, 2018

So yes, I had a good time learning about radical generosity and how women are elevating other women. Nothing left to say but point out that event was hosted at the BDO offices and they have an amazing view! I understand one of the WeWork Brisbane offices is in the same building, and I am so tempted to sign-up for that office. Alas! I am not in a position to indulge in that type of expenses yet. But I hope that changes soon!

Personality and Place: Your Happy Place App

We know that our environment has a significant impact on our mood. But how aware are you of how the place you are in effects your mood? Also, are we designing for all personality types or only a subset who tend to be over-represented on urban planning boards? There are the questions Dr Nigel Cartlidge of Griffith University explores in his research. We teamed up back in July to turn his research into an app that’s usable and downloadable by all, which is where the Your Happy Place App comes in to play.

Currently available on Expo.io as a working demonstration of the concept. Nigel will be presenting the app and the broader plan for it at The International Urban Design Conference taking place right now in Sydney.

The idea has a two-sided market. One side of the market is everyone interested in emotional and wellness tracking and analysis. Ideally, users will use the app every day to record their emotions, taking into account the place they are in, and the app will provide feedback to them. The other side of the market is the urban design and planning community, who could use the data to better design and build urban spaces.

The ideas are still developing, and it’s all currently bootstrapped by Nigel, and his wife, Janet. I am on board as CTO and chief developer. Hopefully, we can drum up enough interest to start raising some seed funding. The website for the business side of things is Personality and Place. I cannot be at the conference, but I am sure Nigel is doing very well!

Start with Tinni

November 1st, 2018 is the official start date of my newest business venture: Start with Tinni! Through this business I will formally work with startup and small businesses to develop and evolve the technology side of their enterprise. It’s similar to what I frequently get asked to do by various startups around Brisbane. I can just do it more formally with proper infrastructure behind me. I am excited to launch and look forward to adding positively to the Brisbane entrepreneurial ecosystem. So let me end this post with my elevator pitch:

“Our data-driven, technology-enabled world can be tough to navigate for small businesses and startups. Especially with startups, there might be a technological component that the founders are not equipped to handle. I am here to help both established businesses and startups navigate the technological landscape of today.”

— - Why Start with Tinni!