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A LOCAL academic with a flair for entrepreneurship has taken out the top spot at the international StartupHouse Battlefield competition, once and for all disproving the old saying 'those who can't do, teach.'
Bond University assistant professor of entrepreneurship Dr Baden U'Ren (pictured) pitched start-up Ditterich Agriculture to StartupHouse in Silicon Valley, winning out against five other new ventures from around the world.
"I went up against some serious competitors in the Battlefield, so it was a real coup to come out on top," says Dr U'Ren.
"Some of the other ventures were significantly further progressed in their development, so to be named the winner is a great endorsement of our concept and that we are moving in the right direction."
Additional Co-founders and Bond MBA students Caile Ditterich and Shiny Su worked alongside Dr U'Ren on the AgTech start-up, creating a tool for hand-held grain analysis and management designed to increase margins for crop farmers.
Dr U'Ren entered into the StartupHouse Battlefield as a part of a study tour to Silicon Valley, where the AgTech team is delighted to have won a month of space in the iconic co-working environment.
"Silicon Valley is pretty much the epicentre for tech and start-up companies," says Dr U'Ren.
"The students had the opportunity to meet and learn from those who are going out and making their ideas a reality and it has really pushed them to start taking the next step."
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