Dr. Simon Minaee
Master Class Program Director, School of Business, Murdoch University
Dr. Liang Fen (The interviewer)
The Education & Training Manager of AIG
LF: Please introduce yourself.
SM: My name is Simon Minaee, I work at Murdoch University, School of Business and I teach entrepreneurship and International Logistics.
I was one of the first judges at the Alpha Innovation, in 2018 and I had the opportunity to sit down and listen to some incredible presentations presented by a range of creative, talented and hardworking people from across the state.
It was a really interesting eye-opening experience, I think the competition and the projects were an absolute success.
LF: Your impression of Alpha Innovation Contest 2018?
SM: I am really look forward to the 2019 Alpha Innovation Contest and I can expect a range of fantastic presentations.
I really enjoyed last year’s contest because it brought together people from across the state, and encouraged people to share their creative ideas. Not only have people in the past been able to show us how their ideas could be commercialized and how they can be built, but I think that in a sense they demonstrated that creativity is not something that it is a rare issue. It exists across the community and I think Alpha Innovation Contest is a way of helping people to express themselves in this area. It gives them a great opportunity to build on this and is great opportunity to be able to pursue that ideas and dreams
Alpha Innovation I think provides a valuable platform for inspiring students to turn the concept they have been working on into something tangible, something that actually commercially viable.
It is important for us to understand entrepreneurship is not just a single thing, you cannot just go to a class and learn it. It really requires students and young entrepreneurs to meet people, to share ideas, and it is so important to have that platform.
LF: Your comment on Alpha Innovation Contest?
SM: I teach entrepreneurship at Murdoch University, we’ve seen incredible successes, with student successes in the area of business. Indeed, one of our graduates was very successful in the Alpha Contest last year. We understand entrepreneurship is a complex issue. Yes, you can study it in the classroom, but often that is not enough. It is important to have a connection with important and interesting members of the community. It is also important to have opportunities like those offered by the Alpha Innovation Contest. That is one of the great things that Alpha Innovation actually does. The students have that chance to be able to try out their ideas with a panel of seasoned experts, who can assess, who can evaluate, who can provide feedback, with the respect of how to turn ideas to reality.
Entrepreneurship really requires that we bring together a range of issues and I think Alpha Innovation is a valuable ingredient in the mix.
LF : Please use one sentence for your students and for all the Alpha Innovation Contest participants
SM: I wish every participant of Alpha Innovation Contest the best success for 2019, if it’s anything like last year, I am very sure they really gain a great deal. One of the things I always tell students is that entrepreneurship matters because if you don’t build your dream, somebody will hire you to build theirs.