Yesterday

It has been three years now since this business idea of mine hijacked my life, and what a ride it has been. Not that I am complaining. Yes it has been hard work, but I have been lucky to have met some wonderful and supportive people along the way, and the steady stream of successes have been very rewarding. So yes, it has been hard work, but it’s been worth it. Now, it is time for the next stage in IntelVest’s journey, one even more exciting and demanding than the last. For this new stage, we set off with some serious resources at our disposal thanks to the wonderful Ventures team at the University of Queensland, and the brilliant folks running their ilab accelerator program. IntelVest can truly flourish thanks to the resources and wide-reaching support network ilab offers. I expect that we are going to see some very serious runs on the board. We need to, there are lives depending on it. 

Day 1

After having the pleasure of meeting the other 2023 ilab founders at a welcome event two weeks ago, the program officially kicked off on Tuesday with a jam-packed day of introductions, planning and valuable sessions that gave insights into the life of a startup. 

One of the sessions I found most interesting was the reflection session where we shared a highlight and lowlight from our business for the week, and put out an ‘ask’ – something that you would like someone else to do for you. This was valuable from the perspective of goal setting and reflecting on what is working and what isn’t, but was also beneficial to see the different stages of business that everyone is at, and how no matter the stage there are good days and bad days. It was also great to hear from ilab alumni Chris Pymble and Siobhan Coster about their experiences and advice for the program. 

Tomorrow

It is my hope during ilab that we can use the guidance and resources provided by the program to build the second stage of IntelVest’s prototype, as described in our patent, and to connect with more fire departments to keep our customer focus and continue to get feedback on the design.

Ultimately, the goal is to make IntelVest widely available within the industry, so we can dramatically reduce the risk of overexertion, and save the lives of the people that work every day to save ours.

Two days before the day after tomorrow

So now it’s three – IntelVest and I, and ilab.  It is a fantastic feeling to know that these guys have my back, yet at the same time, I know that the pressure is on, and yes, I must admit some degree of trepidation – what have I gotten myself into this time? Seriously though, I am feeling confident.  This is possibly the most risky undertaking I have committed to, but am excited, the adrenaline is pumping, and that is exactly how it should be.