The start-ups taking part in the first ever Melbourne University School of Information’s Tin Alley intern program have been named.
The five start-ups are: Social discussion site Yellloh, design marketplace 99designs, event management platform Attendly, website fixing marketplace Tweaky, and scheduling software for tradespeople platform ScheduleFlow.
The start-ups needed to have a particular project for the intern to work on, and will pitch to a group of students this evening.
ScheduleFlow founder Paul Tyrrell told StartupSmart they were looking forward to having an intern to be a key part in their new targeted social media and content marketing strategy.
“We’ve just done a vertical change. We’ve picked a vertical and we’re aiming to get lift off by targeting refrigeration businesses. They’re quite profitable with complex problems, so they’re a good fit for us,” Tyrrell says.
ScheduleFlow has been running for four years and Tyrrell has mentored several start-up founders.
“I quite like educating and training people,” Tyrrell says. “There is a good opportunity for an intern to get some experience if they’re entrepreneurial and have that mindset,” Tyrrell says.
This is the first time the program has been run. When the program launched, coordinator Miguel Wood told StartupSmart it was a win-win for the students and the start-up ecosystem.
“We should be encouraging entrepreneurs as a genuine career path for computer students. This gels with the broader start-up issue of feeding existing companies and helping them grow,” Wood said at the time.
“It’s important to support start-ups that are close to success or already are, because that’s how we encourage new start-ups to come into the community.”
Yelloh co-founder Zac Horgan told StartupSmart they were looking forward to sharing the opportunity for more young people to experience life in start-up land.
“We really wanted to give the opportunity to the students to experience life in a start-up,” Horgan says. “This gives someone the chance to work with a group of people who are the same age and with a bit of ambition.”
Horgan adds they’re the newest start-up in the line up, but they’re ready for the challenge.
“We’ve got a lot to prove, but our product and team are ready to show we’re very serious, and we definitely want to be the best tonight,” Horgan says. “We’ve been focused on securing some fresh talent as we grow, so job opportunities after the internship are definitely not off the cards as well.”
The program is also offering a separate civic technology stream, with an internship available at the City of Melbourne Council.
Rose is the current head of growth at Rampersand Ventures. She was formerly a reporter at StartupSmart.
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