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Future leaders set to compete for tech tour spot

By the end of this month, the life of one young Indigenous Australian will have changed forever. Having won first prize in the Startup Challenge at the First Nations Youth Summit on June 29, that future leader will be preparing to join the International Startup Tour to the United States, run by Indigenous business accelerator Barayama.

Sponsored by CSIRO and Microsoft, The First Nations Youth Summit is a two-day event that aims to support, inspire and empower Australia’s First Nations youth through technology, leadership and entrepreneurship workshops.

The Summit culminates in the Startup Challenge competition, in which every one of the 100 attendees will participate for the chance to join the International Startup Tour.

“The Startup Tour will inspire the winning First Nations entrepreneur to ‘think big’, learn new skills and grow their networks,” explained Dean Foley, Founder at Barayamal. “It’s sure to be a life-changing event for whoever wins.”

For the Startup Tour, Barayamal is flying five of the brightest up-and-coming First Nations entrepreneurs, including the Startup Challenge winner, to the United States for 11 days in September.

The group will attend TechCrunch’s Disrupt event, spend time at the Australian Landing Pad for startups in San Francisco, and visit a First Nations business hub in New Mexico.

“Our aim is to build the future leaders of tomorrow — individuals who can help build sustainable First Nations communities,” Foley added. “We can’t wait to meet the Startup Challenge winner, and welcome them to the tour.”

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