STUDENTS STARTING UP


You will get an understanding of the realities of starting your own business, meet other students interested in starting up, network with fellow entrepreneurs and business people, attend workshops, get advice, and hear about other support and opportunities for budding entrepreneurs in Dunedin, New Zealand and internationally.

You will develop fantastic new skills, meet new people, it looks great on your CV and you’ll be in to win money and prizes to get your business off the ground. Last year, competitors shared in a jackpot of $40,000 in cash, services and other prizes to help them start-up – what have you got to lose?

How does it work?
Those entering the Audacious competition are required to submit a business idea, a detailed business plan and pitch their idea to the Dragon’s Den. Check out the Programme page for further details. Throughout the competition, students attend a range of start-up workshops and have access to a Business Coach for one-on-one advice.

Who is it for?
Audacious is for students of all disciplines at the University of Otago and Otago Polytechnic – not just business students.

No matter what you study, if you are creative, energetic and keen to expand your horizons – Audacious could be perfect for you. If you are worried you lack business skills, or any other skills, we will do our very best to help you find team-mates with the skills you need.

Individual entrants must be current University of Otago or Otago Polytechnic students. If you are entering as a team, at least one member of your team must be a current student and that person must be your nominated main contact when submitting your ideas.

But you don’t even have to enter the competition, if you are thinking of starting up, you’re welcome to join the community – attend Audacious events, hang out in the Audacious space, speak to our Business Coach or simply ask for help!

Categories
To organise the wide range of ideas submitted every year, and to compare apples with apples, Audacious is split into five categories. In your Round One submission you will be required to nominate the category in which you think your idea fits, but they become more important in Round Two. As you can see, any idea can be a winner!

THINKING BIG

Don’t play safe, think long term. Bold ideas that are relatively untested and may have a long development phase, but could find worldwide success.

ACTING NOW

Get out there and make it happen. Ideas that are relatively straight forward, low risk and easy to bring to market.

DOING GOOD

Look after people and planet. Ideas that benefit society – for social entrepreneurs, not-for-profits, sustainable ventures and the like.

GETTING CREATIVE

Think outside the box. Ideas that are innovative in the design or marketing that is leading edge and provides a competitive advantage.

MAORI BUSINESS

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi; engari, he toa takitini; our achievements are a collective endeavour, not a solitary effort. For Maori students and those with a Maori-focused business idea.

RULES
Read the Audacious Challenge rules 2014. Competitors must agree to these rules in the submission process. Entries can be submitted via the Challenge section of this website. Any questions regarding these rules should be directed to [email protected].

Blog archive

  • Audacious > Blog

    Posted by kari.petroschmidt There are many reasons why you might want to start a company. People talk a lot about “push and pull” factors. Push factors being anything that forces you to start up (like being fired from a previous job) and pull factors (like the desire to earn more than you are currently being…

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  • Audacious > Blog

    31 May Posted by jessie.e.mckay Photo by Alex Lovell-Smith The Top 40 Awards evening was held last night in the beautiful Sargood Centre at Logan Park. The sweet sounds of The Mentalist Collective, the stunning art works by the Otago Polytechnic P Lab (print lab), delicious catering by Otago Polytechnic and some inspiring speeches by…

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  • Audacious > Blog

    Posted by kari.petroschmidt When you have an idea that you are enthusiastic about, the most natural thing is to want share it with other people.  Once you do that, you get a better idea of whether any of these people might also be excited by it.  And, if they are, perhaps they want to help…

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  • Audacious > About

    Since its inception Audacious has been about helping students start up through a two-part competition (which you can read more about on the Challenge page). But firstly, what is starting-up?  In essence, it’s about starting a business. But it’s also so much more. Being your own boss. Taking a risk. Doing what you love. Audacious…

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  • Audacious > Sponsors

    Audacious is sponsored by a number of entities who give us big love and support. Thanks.                                                 OUR Supporters

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  • Audacious > Challenge

    Audacious provides a structure for students who want to start  businesses; inspiration, community, advice and funding. Round one, in the first semester, involves idea development. The Top  40 ideas will receive a share of $10,000 to get the ball rolling on their start-ups. In second semester you will further develop your initial concept and pitch it to…

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  • Audacious > Blog

    Posted by kari.petroschmidt So Andrew Wallace spoke for us at The Church last week about getting creative. Here’s some commentary.  Andrew characterised a starter as a talker – someone confident, extroverted, a force for something. I agree that starters are generally confident, assertive people. But I think penning any one group with such a particular…

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  • Audacious > Blog

    10 Oct Posted by kari.petroschmidt The final, penultimate Audacious event of 2012! The Audacious Awards Ceremony… This evening was about so much more than awarding a few prizes to the winners of this year’s challenge. It was a celebration – of creativity, of taking risks, of people following their passions. From Audacious starters, to young…

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  • Audacious > Blog

    Posted by kari.petroschmidt What is Audacious? Well, I’ll start by giving you the pared back, simplified version. It’s essentially a competition which aims to facilitate Otago students starting businesses. We begin with round one in semester one, where students are to develop an idea and submit this to a judging panel. Those students selected to…

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  • Audacious > Blog

    Posted by kari.petroschmidt So that’s an exaggeration, but there’s a lot of distrust there. Historically ‘entrepreneurship’ has not been seen as inspirational, or as Art but rather viewed with suspicion and derision, considered more lowly than the comparatively honourable professions of law and medicine (for example).  Though we’re a materially obsessed culture and we love…

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  • Audacious > Blog

    Posted by kari.petroschmidt There’s something that’s always appealed to me about Karl Largerfeld. He’s a workaholic, going so far as to practice the Uberman sleep schedule (something to which I’ve always aspired but never quite gotten around to… watch this space). He’s obsessed with creativity and learning, he wants to know everything. And he’s intelligent and immensely…

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  • Audacious > Blog

    Posted by kari.petroschmidt Success is a matter of being able to overcome these psychological barriers because everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone, has moments of doubt, loneliness and vulnerability. If we ‘fail’ as a result of these sentiments that is entirely human and understandable. No one is infallible. But undoubtedly success is largely a matter of…

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