River City Labs has unveiled the names of 20 young tech standouts selected to go along on the annual Startup Catalyst mission in September, venturing to headquarters of the likes of Apple, Twitter and Facebook.
This year saw 131 applications lodged from the Gold Coast up to Cairns, superseding the 95 entries last year.
The mission will take place between 28 September and 7 October, fronted by Baxter and Ezidebit founder Michael Dempsey, who will take the under-25 startup founders and student entrepreneurs around the traps of Silicon Valley to equip them with an understanding of what's involved in launching a global tech startup.
"Choosing just 20 was a challenge as project director, Colin Kinner, and one of the tech masterminds behind the mission, Peter Laurie, were blown away with the quality of the applications," says Baxter.
"I'm looking forward to witnessing how the experience further equips and teaches these emerging entrepreneurs. Queensland's startup scene will certainly be better for it."
The 20 young Queenslanders joining the program are:
- Jake Anderson
- Nick Burge
- Samuel Colbran
- Sidney de Vries
- Jacu du Plessis
- Marisa Emerson
- Jordan Gardiner
- Jack Hallahan
- Adam Hibble
- Astrid Jonelynas
- Thea Koutsoukis
- Aimee Leong
- Sam Lewis
- Ben Maggacis
- Tom Manderson
- Krissy O'Farrell
- Chris Rieger
- Michael Sive
- Tommi Sullivan
- Kevin Upton
"Silicon Valley has some of the highest performance tech innovators in the world, I am ecstatic to be able to bring back the experience and share it with students like myself," says Hibble.
"Maybe one day people will take a trip to Fortitude Valley to visit a company I start."
Over the course of the ten-day mission, the lucky 20 will share their experiences with friends, family and social networks via the Startup Catalyst blog. You can follow their journey at: http://www.startupcatalyst.com.au/
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