FOR the past 10 years, Bloom, Western Australia’s centre for youth innovation, has had a profound impact on growing and shaping Perth’s culture of entrepreneurship through its innovation and leadership programs, accelerator and co-working space.
“Pretty much everyone in the startup or entrepreneurial ecosystem in Perth has at one time or another been a part of Bloom in one form or another,” Bloom’s recently appointed director Lisa Longman said.
Kommunity Brew founder Mason Bagios, who recently came in second on Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, credits Bloom for starting his entrepreneurial journey.
Some of the other initiatives that have come out of Bloom include Teach Learn Grow, which helps to improve educational outcomes for young people in regional WA through mentorship, the Hello Initiative which provides mobile phones for young people in the WA justice system, and Zentient which designs technology solutions for the non-profit sector.
Growth
Bloom is entering into a new phase of growth focused on inclusion, community, change and innovation led by Ms Longman.
The centre recently opened a new space adjacent to Curtin University and, thanks to support from St Catherine’s College, The Malka Foundation and Lotterywest, Bloom’s original space at The University of Western Australia is undergoing a complete renovation to turn it into an innovation hub that will open later this year.
Ms Longman also welcomed Sisonke Msimang, previously of the Centre for Storytelling and a curator for Perth Festival, as Bloom’s new storytelling and impact co-ordinator.
“[Ms Msimang] will be looking at how we bridge those gaps between entrepreneurship, which can be a very siloed industry that only talks to each other, and bring in those other voices and those other capabilities,” Ms Longman said.
“The goal is to strengthen but also challenge Bloom’s approach … while also bringing in sectors they haven’t engaged with previously.”
This sort of inclusive and innovative thinking is also reflected in those who Bloom serves.
“We get to bring in voices that are maybe not being heard or given the same credence in other programs,” Ms Longman said.
“We can do really grassroots, community-led programming, and then connect [participants] in with the bigger end of town.”
That inclusivity extends to Bloom’s mission to support youth entrepreneurship, because the centre is open to anyone regardless of age.
Bloom difference
Ms Longman said Bloom was essentially a startup itself.
This makes it very agile, innovative and collaborative, with a bigger scope and a lot more freedom … especially because Bloom is seen as “the little kid” of the startup ecosystem.
“We get to work with everybody,” Ms Longman said. “Everyone has got a bit of a soft spot for us.”
Being the little kid also means it can innovate things and do them much more quickly.
“We don’t have to go through the levels of approval and agreement from everyone,” Ms Longman said.
“We get to do really innovative approaches that you might not get clearance for somewhere else.
“Things are slightly more unhinged.”
An example of how Bloom does things differently is Launchpad, a long-running program where students not only get a university credit towards their degree, but also take their idea to market.
“Usually in hackathons, they get to the pitch point and that’s the end of the program,” Ms Longman said. However, in Launchpad they don’t pitch, but must sell their idea.
The program’s greatest success so far is a student who made $45,000 – enough to pay for their degree.
Get involved
Ms Longman said Bloom was always looking for new mentors and volunteers.
The benefit of getting involved in Bloom for today’s business leaders is you to get to learn from tomorrow’s leaders.
“Their mindset is radically different,” she said.
“The way they see the world of work, the way they see themselves, the problems they want to solve, the way they view so many things, from gender to working hours … they are fascinating and they’re passionate and they are driven.
“I really think this next generation is going to be the one that redefines society.
“In 10 years’ time you might find yourself in a workplace being run by them, and not having the skills you need to keep up.”
• Dr Kate Raynes-Goldie is a cultural anthropologist specialising in human communication, innovation and AI. She is also a keynote speaker, Certified LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator and the creator of SUPERCONNECT®
