An enterprising Queensland student’s startup idea may have reached King Charles, after first winning the attention of Governor-General Sam Mostyn.
Isabella O’Sullivan, a 14-year-old student from Charters Towers, is the mind behind Moisture Master, a concept she says could revolutionise how farmers tend their crops.
O’Sullivan wants to connect moisture-detecting sensors to automatic watering systems, a development she says could reduce water waste, excess spending, and crop failure from over-irrigation.
With support from the Academy for Enterprising Girls, O’Sullivan brought her idea to Canberra for the Enterprising ME Kickstarter Challenge Grand Final.
It was there O’Sullivan was recognised as Enterprising Girl of the Year — an award handed down by the Governor-General herself.
“I was very delighted to meet the Governor-General,” O’Sullivan tells SmartCompany.
“She was an amazing person. She was very inspirational to talk to.”
Beyond plaudits from the Governor-General — a lauded figure in the Australian business landscape in her own right — O’Sullivan also earned a brief audience with Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
And before departing for home, she learned of another very special opportunity.
“She shared some very special news that… she was going to share my idea with the King, which was very special,” says O’Sullivan.
“That was something I was not expecting.”
The awards night took place on October 9, a little more than a week before King Charles and Queen Camilla touched down in Australia for a royal tour.
As the King’s representative in Canberra, the Governor-General accompanied the monarchs for much of their trip — a time in which Moisture Master may have gained a royal audience.
Speaking on the awards night, the Governor-General said O’Sulluvan’s story would be of particular interest to King Charles, who has championed sustainable farming and action on climate change in recent years.
O’Sullivan has not heard further news from the royal tour, but that hasn’t stopped her from developing her idea even further.
She is researching the best way to organise the sensors and how to wirelessly connect them to a smartphone app, allowing farmers to easily assess moisture levels at a glance.
“The sensors will be placed every ten to fifteen metres, but the depth is unknown until I do the research, prototype it more,” she explains.
“Different root systems of different crops are going to have different water needs, and [the sensors] will need to be planted deeper in the ground to really test the moisture in the soil.”
Beyond her first startup idea, O’Sullivan is now growing an enterprising girls’ club at her school, encouraging other students aged 10 to 18 to take part in the free Academy for Enterprising Girls program.
O’Sullivan says those e-learning modules gave her the tools to begin thinking about her own business ideas.
“Those e-modules go through 10 different things, including prototyping, coming up with your idea, standing out from the crowd, being unique, being different.”
Students are also taught “how to use money, work with money, budget your money, save your money”.
Lessons even touch on naming techniques — shorter rhyming names like Moisture Master are sometimes more memorable, O’Sullivan says — and how to design a compelling logo.
“I thought it taught me so much,” O’Sullivan continues.
“At the start of it, I did not have a clue about business, did not know anything, and then I participated in the Academy, and it’s taught me so much.”
After a whirlwind month, it seems getting more young girls interested in entrepreneurship could be the real crowning achievement.
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Senior Business Journalist
Focused on the small business sector, David’s work covers the political, regulatory, and economic issues facing Australian entrepreneurs. Prior to joining SmartCompany, he was a reporter for Business Insider Australia. You can follow him on LinkedIn.
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