We’re so proud to see how far our alumni are taking the tools and connections they gained on our campus towards their entrepreneurial pursuits. So, we’re thrilled to announce that Sarah Last and Eleanor Toulmin (2016 cohort) have secured a coveted spot in the 2017 Melbourne Accelerator Program.
From an idea that was born just 10 months ago, Sarah and Eleanor have combined their hard work, skills, and connections to take important steps towards building their business.
Sarah and Eleanor met when both were looking to have a bigger impact with their skills, experience, and passion. Sarah was on a pathway to becoming a Veterinarian but wasn’t content to just help one animal at a time. Eleanor left a burgeoning corporate career in management consulting to find a more challenging and ambitious pursuit.
After meeting in the Master of Entrepreneurship and iterating through several different ideas with other groups during the program, they bonded over an opportunity that lay at the interaction of their combined technical expertise, market need, and passion – Mimictec was created.
Mimictec is an AgTech startup that’s improving poultry farming productivity through a world-first agricultural infrastructure product that mimics maternal care on commercial farms.
An idea born in mid 2016, it went through several cycles of Design Thinking development, business modelling, prototyping, and pitching during the program. Their efforts have caught the eyes of investors, business leaders, and the startup community, securing them awards, seed funding, and an impressive network of mentors and advisors.
In the face of economic uncertainty, rising populations, and foreign competition, Sarah and Eleanor have an ambitious vision to help Australian farmers create more food, for less money, without compromising on animal welfare.
They are a great example of smart and ambitious aspiring entrepreneurs who used the tools and connections the Master of Entrepreneurship provided to build the change they want to see in the world.