From budding entrepreneur, to key team member, side hustler and now bootstrapped founder, Rosh Ghadamian’s time at Wade Institute has truly come full circle. Since joining the inaugural University of Melbourne Master of Entrepreneurship cohort in 2015, he has encompassed the Wade mindset and consistently demonstrated resilience, creativity, teamwork and innovation.
And now with the burgeoning success of newly co-founded Rhapsody Labs (RLXYZ), Rosh is once again putting his entrepreneurial mindset, skills, networks and knowledge to the test. Before he heads off to change the world, we sat down with Rosh – the ultimate Wader – to hear his reflections on his time at Wade and how it prepared him for his entrepreneurial journey.
What is one thing you learnt from the University of Melbourne’s Master of Entrepreneurship that stands true to you today?
It’s a long game! Studying the Master of Entrepreneurship isn’t about the year, or what you do the following year or even the one after that. It’s about a body of work, a collection of skills, tools and networks – a mindset. The Master of Entrepreneurship gives you a foundation and arms you with that mindset to take with you wherever you go next.
What has gone into making you the founder you are today?
More than anything it’s been the experience, going through hard times builds resilience for the future. Learning to separate myself from my business has been a huge win – I can be happy at home regardless of what happened that day at work. The networks and community I have built through the Master of Entrepreneurship, VC Catalyst, the Victorian ecosystem (looking at you, LaunchVic!) and broader startup community has been enormous. Through this community I’ve always had the support to get back up again when I’ve fallen. It’s hard to truly quantify the impact this has on you as a founder.
How would you say your journey has come full circle through Wade?
I always considered myself a startup person. I enjoy the 0-1 stage of creating something from nothing. The last few years post-Master of Entrepreneurship working for others has given me the room to grow, explore and prove things to myself without the added pressure of making a living from a startup. This paired with the knowledge and networks gained in VC Catalyst has given me an insight into the full entrepreneurial spectrum. I met the girl of my dreams studying the Master of Entrepreneurship, travelled, married and had a family. I also tried a few different ventures that didn’t work out, but I learned a lot and when something took off I was ready to go. It’s a challenge to balance it all, but that’s just part and parcel of entrepreneurial life.
What role did VC Catalyst play in constructing your entrepreneurial mindset?
My experience at Wade Institute had always been with entrepreneurship. It’s something Wade and the University of Melbourne do really well. But with VC Catalyst, I was suddenly introduced to a whole new world of people: investors. I was fortunate to learn about their process, their methods and their mindsets. But almost more importantly, I discovered how wonderful and supportive they are as people. Knowing that gives me the confidence to say I think we have a lot to be optimistic about with the future of high-growth startups. There are people out there who genuinely care about founders and their ideas and want to make a difference. I’ve had the pleasure to meet and work with many of them during my time as VC Catalyst Program Director.
What would be your one piece of advice to an up-and-coming entrepreneur?
Everything has its season. Sometimes you need to take a step back and focus on other things in your life to prepare yourself mentally, physically and emotionally for the journey that comes with being a founder. Make the most of this time and hopefully you too can be everything you want to be in the future.
In 2021, in typical Wade fashion, in the depths of a Melbourne COVID lockdown, Rosh co-founded Rhapsody Labs (RLXYZ), a creative design agency that partners with international brands, artists and Web3 communities to incubate and launch successful NFT projects. In just a few months, Rosh has grown RLXYZ to include exciting projects with brands like Tiger Beer (including raising USD$1M in 10 minutes) and Dream Lab: Reflections with Jacob Riglin. We’re so excited to see where he takes RLXYZ and couldn’t be more proud. Congratulations, Rosh! Follow his journey at https://www.rhapsodylabs.xyz/
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Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship is a leading centre for entrepreneurial education. We deliver programs to accelerate learning, creation and connection.
