A group of Griffith graduates dropped everything to move to Finland to pursue their dream of launching a travel app.
It has more than paid off with their app ‘Ventoura’ worth $2 million just two weeks after it launched. And more success is set to come as the team prepares to expand Ventoura to the USA and Asia later this year.
The Griffith graduates Raymond Siems (Bachelor of Engineering), Jamin Wood (Bachelor of Engineering), Hector Ren (Bachelor of Information Technology) and Wenchao Chen (Bachelor of Multimedia and Information Technology )struck up a unique business partnership while working together on Griffith’s Gold Coast campus during the summer semester of 2013/14.
A screen shot from the AppStore of the Ventoura app.
The Ventoura app allows travellers to connect with people who live at their holiday destination area and have the “awesome experiences” only local knowledge can provide. It also matches up travellers who are going to the same place at the same time.
“The app gives travellers the opportunity to connect with locals and unlock the secrets of a destination, while also opening up social discovery and the chance to meet like minded travellers,” Raymond said.
The concept for Ventoura was a joint development by the founding team. Raymond said he had often thought about the ideas behind the app after finding a niche in the travel market while backpacking around Europe, but it wasn’t until he met his now co-founders that together the four of them had the skills and talent required to make the dream a reality.
“It’s a great case of international and domestic students teaming up to do something they wouldn’t have otherwise done,” he said.
“It was a fun, ambitious idea among friends that has led to something much more. The idea was a collaborative one — we each bring something to the team.”
Ventoura co-founders and Griffith graduates Hector Ren (left) and and Wenchao (far right) with Wilson Griffiths (second left), Evan Martin (middle) and Jai Carlton (second from right) who are now part of the team in Helskini, Finland.
Last year the group decided to quit their full time jobs to take the European market by storm.
Ventura capitalist interest in Helskini saw them move to Finland in August 2014.
After an extensive development stage Ventoura was officially launched on March 27.
The $2 million valuation is a result of outsider investments into the company. But their profits are set to increase with their business model seeing them net 18 per cent from all tour transactions that occur through the app.
“We are a long way from actual success, but it’s been beyond what we could have expected so far,” Raymond said.
The Ventoura team now consists of 12 members, with six Griffith Alumni.
Griffith University student Patrisha Kay, winner of the 2014 Speakers University Challenge, has been presented with her trophy at a ceremony on the Gold Coast campus.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honourable Bronwyn Bishop was unable to attend, so the presentation was made by The Honourable Karen Andrews MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Science and Member for McPherson.
“Freedom of speech is something I feel strongly about and I thought it would be a really good experience to enter,’’ said Patrisha, who is studying a Bachelor of Laws/Commerce.
The Speaker’s University’s Challenge aims to raise awareness of the House of Representatives among young Australians.
Entrants were challenged to present their views and create a three-minute video exploring the topic of ‘Freedom of speech in a modern day democracy’.
Patrisha’s passion was rewarded and despite tough competition, she won first place for her entry.
In Patrisha’s speech she asks, “Are we truly free from restraint and censorship in modern society ruled by technology and cyberspace?
“In this age of texting, typing, and video chatting we attempt for the world to hear our cries, our ideas, our urges for change, and live in the illusion that we are being understood.”
It took Patrisha just a day to write, perform and film the winning speech and she is still incredulous about her success.
“I got a call just after I finished an exam and they said they were sending me down to Canberra as one of the top three entrants. We were at a lunch with Bronwyn Bishop when they announced the winners and I was completely shocked when they read my name,” she said.
“At Griffith Law School we are very proud of our students’ abilities to not only successfully apply the law in readiness for legal practice, but also to critique and question the law and our legal system,’’ said Dr Therese Wilson, GLS Deputy Head.
“We are confident that many of our students, like Patrisha,will go on to influence positive change in both our legal system and broader society.”
With her confidence-boosting win, Patrisha is planning to enter further mooting competitions with the Griffith Law School.
“I entered three last year and it was a great experience. I would really like to do more this year.”
While at high school, Patrisha had a passion for both legal studies and accounting and, for a time, vacillated between business and commerce as the second program for her degree.
“I find law intriguing so there was no question I wouldn’t study that and in the end, I chose commerce instead of business as I really love accounting.”
St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital has announced the winner of its inaugural $25,000 ANZAC Art Prize as Queensland College of Art Masters graduate Ros Paton for her work,La Colombe.
In her entry statement, Ms Paton said: “La Colombe is inspired by Picasso’s lithograph, La Colombe (The Dove), which was chosen as the emblem for the World Peace Congress in Paris in April 1949.”
Former Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce AD, CVO announced Ms Paton as the winner and opened an exhibition of 29 shortlisted works hanging in the Spring Hill, Brisbane hospital, with the winning work to take permanent pride of place at St Andrew’s.
The exhibition, which opened on April 20, runs untilMay 31.
More than 130 entries were received from accomplished and aspiring artists around Australia for the competition, which was judged by Dr Claire Baddeley, Senior Curator of Art at the Australian War Memorial.
The ANZAC Art Prize is a central element of St Andrew’s activities to commemorate the ANZAC centenary – the occasion is of great significance to the hospital because it was founded in memory of those who served in the World Wars.
The Prize was co-ordinated by St Andrew’s gynaecologist Dr Philip Hall, a passionate art collector and honorary curator of the hospital’s art collection.
Dr Hall said the competition’s theme of “Healing after Conflict” was central to the mission of St Andrew’s which was established almost 60 years ago as a living war memorial.
“War and its impact on individuals, families and communities has always been a rich, yet challenging subject for the artist and a way of engaging the community in what is a hugely significant and sensitive topic,” Dr Hall said.
“The ‘Healing after Conflict’ theme was intended to signify the positives that can emerge after a period of conflict, visually depicting the theme of healing, and symbolising the place of art in a healing space.”
St Andrew’s General Manager Andrew Barron said that as a war memorial hospital, St Andrew’s honoured “those affected by war and of what it means to hold onto hope in the midst of brokenness”.
“As lives are saved with the latest in medical research and technology, and as wounds are healed with care and compassion, we are pleased to continue our unbreakable ties with the ANZAC tradition,” Mr Barron said.
Ms Paton described her winning entry as a contrast between conflict and safety.
“The bird amidst the violence of the shattered wood and damaged stonework contrasted against a calm and uplifting sky, signifies the positives that can emerge after a period of conflict through the idea of safe haven made possible by past upheaval.
“The pigeon building its nest in the midst of the devastation, embodies the healing power of a home and family that is allowed to flourish without threat, and speaks of resilience, optimism and the everyday.
“Birds have long been associated with the concepts of peace, freedom, the future and renewed life, and across many societies and religions, reflecting a kinship with the natural world that pervades and transcends linguistics regardless of culture.
“Now, in our contemporary society, the symbol of the dove is universal as a metaphor for pacifism, while the type of damage sustained by modern warfare is also almost without exception, globally familiar and recognisable,” she says.
Ms Paton, who has a Master of Art from the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, is a well-established Brisbane artist who has exhibited extensively across Australia for more than 30 years.
The ANZAC Art Prize exhibition runs at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital in Spring Hill untilMay 31.
Griffith University is proud to be the main sponsor of the 2015 Asia Pacific Cities Summit Young Professionals ’ Forum, to be held in Brisbane from 5-8 July.
The Young Professionals Forum will this year form part of the Asia Pacific Cities Summit, to give young people and emerging leaders an opportunity to contribute to identifying solutions to urban challenges faced by cities in the Asia Pacific.
As part of the sponsorship, Griffith University will lead and facilitateYoung Professionals ’ Forum discussions, and will provide 25 spots for Griffith students and alumni to participate.
As an initiative of the Brisbane City Council , the Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum has been held biennially at Brisbane and countries across Asia Pacific since 1996. Over 60 cities will be sending delegations to the summit, including the government and enterprise representatives. It aims to bring more opportunities and facilitate discussions regarding to economic and sustainable cities developments by connecting leaders of government and enterprise across the world.
The overarching theme for 2015Asia Pacific Cities Summit is ‘business and leadership in the Asia Pacific’, with covering 4 new world city issues: – Global cities – cultivating cities of talent, creativity and innovation – Digital cities – the science and technology behind cities – Future cities – developing cities and smart communities – Cities for people – clean, green, accessible and inclusive cities
To taking the applications into account, the candidates must be able to demonstrate both interest and commitment to one or more of the 4 conference themes and able to attend the full conference program. Current students, recent graduates or alumni are encouraged to apply by 23 June 2015.
Associate Professor Choy received the Berwyn Clayton Award for Distinguished Service to Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA)at the AVETRA conference in Melbourne last week.
This award recognises the exemplary and distinguished service of nominated AVETRA members who have worked towards improving AVETRA’s status as Australia’s peak association for VET researchers.
Associate Professor Choy is thefirst Queenslander to win this award.
“I managed a nationally funded program over three years that facilitated the development of numerous VET researchers.”
Theseexperiences have positioned herwell for her role as the Higher Degree Research Convenorin the School of Education and Professional Studies for the past four years, and now as the Coordinator of the program.
Shesaysthe support provided by Professor Stephen Billett, Professor of Adult and Vocational Education in EPS, contributed significantly to her success.
“Stephen’s continued mentoring and guidance since 1997, when I first met him here at Griffith, has provided me with numerous opportunities to engage in highly successful VET research.”
In addition, an EPS PhD graduate who was supervised by ProfessorBillett, Dr Selena Chan from Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology in New Zealand, won the award for the Best Article.
Congratulations to Associate Professor Choy for the thoroughly deserved award, as well as to Professor Billett and the Adult and Vocational Educational Education team in EPS.
Entries are about to close for the run that’s fun for everyone –The Gold Coast Bulletin Fun Runand Half Marathon returns on Sunday 26 April 2015.
There are five events to choose from – simply select the challenge that’s right for you. Events include:-
Rebel Sport Kids Dash (1km)
London Estate Agents Family Run/Walk (2.5km)
Brooks Run (5km)
Heritage Bank (10km)
Griffith University (21km)
All events take participants around Robina finishing at CBUS Stadium. The Gold Coast Bulletin Fun run supports the local charity, Livin.
Griffith University will provide a 25% discount to students, staff and family members on their entry fees that enter before Wednesday 22 April. To register today: http://gcbfunrun.com.au/ (Typein your teamname “Griffith University” which is case sensitive, search andjoin. The password is “TeamGriffith“).
The next big participation event for Griffith University will be the 2015 Gold Coast Marathon in July. For the past three years, Griffith has won the Largest Corporate Team and this year the University is again offering staff, students and alumni the opportunity to receive a discount off their registration fee (for the race of your choice) and a free Griffith singlet.
Plus – Team Griffith will ‘run and raise’ for the Students’ Future Fund, which awards scholarships to talented and dedicated students from all backgrounds and ensures they can complete their education regardless of personal financial circumstances.
If you are based at Griffith University Logan campus, you can take advantage of the FREE bus to and from the marathon precinct!
The deadline for registrations is on April 30, 2015. For more details, go to Griffith Marathon.
How disability support services are preparing for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Queensland.
This is the focus of the fourth Griffith University-led NDIS symposium where people withdisabilities, their families and carers, service providers, government personnel,academics and disability researchers, will come together to share knowledge andexperiences around the core elements of the NDIS.
From 1 July 2016, the NDIS scheme — a generational reform which aims to deliver a national system of disability support focussed on the individual needs of people with disability – will be progressively rolled out in Queensland with completion due by 30 June 2019.
The event, on April 20 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, follows the success of the university’s previous three Symposia in 2014 and is themed ‘What does good support look like? Beyond qualifications and pay rates’.
Dr Margaret Ward from the university’s School of Human Services and Social Work will be discussing research which has compared the issues for support workers within both traditional and user-directed services, in meeting the goals of the NDIS.
“We surveyed a range of Queensland service providers including a small cohort which has already been succeeding in using the new process which allows for individuals to design and direct their own support service.
“I was delighted to find that all participants within the study, both traditional and user-directed, are committed to the principals of the NDIS and agree that a process of user-directed service can be adopted by most services if they address some basic challenges, such as having a focus on the person and having a good match between them and the support worker.” Additionally at the symposium, Griffith’s Dr Donna McDonald will be discussing what new service users think of user direction, while Dr Michael Kendrick will talk about the future of disability support and the relationship between people with disability, their families and the staff that they employ.
“We really hope that the symposium will assist people with disability and their families to understand the process of user-direction and use this to guide their decision making,” says organiser and Head of Logan campus, Professor Lesley Chenoweth.
“Griffith has built a great reputation over the past year in engaging with the NDIS issues at a deeper level. This particular symposium will see everyone from researchers and suppliers to the Minister for the Disabled and families, coming to the table to move things forward on these crucial questions. The more people think about the NDIS and how it canbest work, the better the outcomes will be for people with disability and their families in the future.”
From Tahiti and Hawaii to South Africa and France, Griffith University communications graduate Lyle Fielmich has seen some of the best surfing beaches in the world.
Starting out in 2006 as an intern with the Quiksilver Pro World Surfing competition in Coolangatta, Lyle has honed his skills to become a broadcast director and freelance editor.
“When I started with Quiksilver as a production assistant I offered to edit outdoors and it went from there,’’ he said.
“My first competition was a fantastic experience.”
Shortly after he completed the internship he received a call.
“Someone from Billabong had seen my work at Quiksilver and asked me to cover the comp in Tahiti! I was thrilled.”
Over the past decade Lyle has travelled the globe covering surfing competitions with the World Surfing League, as well as freelancing for the AFL, NRL V8 Super Cars, cricket and the Australian Open.
Lyle says rapid technological changes have improved the live outdoor broadcast quality exponentially.
“We’ve gone from really simple webcasts and small cameras to a world-class standard. We use the same broadcast equipment used in mainstream sports such as cricket, AFL, NRL and tennis.
“Surfing as a whole is becoming more of a marketable sport to networks, so the cameras have to be of a really high standard. When I started in Tahiti, it was all webcast.
“The Griffith University internship I completed with Quiksilver really opened the door to my career.”
Partnership
Griffith University this year celebrates 11 years of its partnership with Quiksilver. More than 60 students have completed internships and gone on to diverse careers.
Production manager Kate Bain has been involved with the World Surfing League’s tour for the past 10 years and manages the Griffith University interns.
She says the long standing relationship with the university and Quiksilver & Roxy Pro’s on the Gold Coast has seen some fantastic people get hands-on industry experience.
“In an increasingly competitive job market, our aim is to provide students with knowledge and contacts that may help them achieve their chosen career paths.
“Many students have gone onto employment throughout the surf industry over the years. This internship opens doors. Lyle is a great example of what this opportunity can lead to,’’ she said.
Lyle has just finished his 10th Quiksilver Pro competition where this year he was broadcast director.
Lyle at work at Bells Beach, Victoria.
“Basically, I sit in a room full of monitors and direct the cameras. We have 13 cameras, seven with operators and the other six are fixed. It’s an amazing experience.”
After a couple of weeks rest, he’ll be off again — this year, the WSL’s tours include Tahiti, Fiji, South Africa, California, Hawaii, France and Portugal.
And just for the record, Lyle reckons Jeffrey’s Bay in South Africa has one of the best and most beautiful surfing beaches in the world.
Mathematics education students are experiencing greater confidence in teaching maths in the future, following a recent redesign of three undergraduate courses.
The mathematics education courses for pre-service primary teachers were redeveloped to be delivered in blended mode, which includes a mixture of online and face-to-face learning.
Dr Larkin says the blended courses have been successful.
“The outcomes of the redesign indicate pre-service teachers exit the courses with not only strong mathematics content knowledge, but also decreased maths anxiety,” he says.
“Our research tracking the performance of the redesigned courses also indicates students experience increased confidence in teaching mathematics through learning a robust framework for how to teach maths to primary school students.
“These outcomes are critical in assisting primary school students to develop a clear understanding of the importance of mathematics for them, and for the economic and social well-being of our society.”
Dr Larkin undertook the two year project in partnership with Australian Catholic University Head of Education Professor Romina Jamieson-Proctor.
An Investment Club involving about 14 commerce students has flourished since a world-class trading room opened its doors on Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus.
The finance-focused group is now advancing plans to develop an index of socially responsible companies in Australia, using state-of-the-art Bloomberg terminals which have opened up a world of market data and financial information.
“Basically unquantifiable” is how Brett Doran sums up the difference since access to the Bloomberg Professional service came with the opening of the new $38 million Griffith Business Building last August.
“Just as an example of the scope of information, we can access the location of every cargo ship in the world, and information about its cargo, its route and the ports where each ship docks. It has all the financial data you could ever want,” Brett Doran says.
Brett completed an honours degree in commerce at Griffith Business School in 2012 before starting a PhD at the university. He is now a mentor to the Investment Club, which is linked to the Griffith Economics and Finance Student Association (EFSA).
“The trading room also offers a wealth of knowledge beyond the standard library catalogue. It is very easy to update assignments and research projects to reflect current world discussions and issues.”
Commerce student and Investment Club member Daniel Herr describes himself as extremely fortunate to have on-campus access to the Bloomberg facilities.
“It has given students like myself the opportunity to obtain valuable first-hand experience in a real trading environment,” he says. “Being familiar with Bloomberg is an invaluable skill which has helped me tremendously with research for the CFA challenge and the capstone unit of my degree.”
Daniel believes a classroom experience that incorporates true industry practice will distinguish his Griffith degree from other degrees into the future. “This experience has been looked upon very favourably by recruiters.”
Carrying out background checks on Australian companies for the development of a socially responsible index is a prime example of the frontline industry possibilities. The Investment Club is building an index of socially responsible companies using a screening process that adheres to a strict definition.
Companies potentially make the index based on positive attributes such as significant contributions to the enhancement of community or environmental prosperity. Alternatively companies can be left off the index because they are involved in the production of tobacco, alcohol and firearms, for example.
“The Investment Club hopes to provide the socially responsible index as a proxy to funds and other companies looking for a socially responsible benchmark for their investment portfolios.”
