SHARK Tank judge and entrepreneur Steve Baxter says Townsville has a great opportunity to take advantage of its innovators and grow a vibrant start-up community.

 

Mr Baxter invests in a range of companies including indoor skydiving, medical software and mobile marketing technology. The Brisbane-based innovation guru urged the North’s entrepreneurs to grow a start-up community by holding regular networking events.

 

He said they should also consider establishing an organisation to nurture start-ups, similar to his River City Labs.

“You have to start with some sort of facility that can be a place for helping start-ups it doesn’t have to be expensive or grandiose,” he said.

 

“Based on conversations I’ve had, I think there’s a green shoot here. People are trying to do the right thing and there’s an understanding this is something all communities should be embracing and it needs a lot of work.”

 

He said the key to a successful start-up was having someone involved who had the technical skills in the relevant
area. “A lot of start-ups which outsource that technical side to China or India … don’t end up successful,” he said.
“A successful start-up at its core needs technical ability to get it done.

 

“For example, in my company Indoor Skydiving Australia, having skydivers involved in key roles was an important aspect of that company.”

 

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