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More and more University of Sydney students are embracing entrepreneurial spirit and developing creative and bold ideas to drive successful starts-up businesses. With help from various accelerator programs on campus, student innovation is leading the charge to solve society鈥檚 problems, whether it鈥檚 big issues such as global food security, or everyday problems such as finding that perfect outfit with just the push of a button. We caught up with three new student-led start-ups shaking up the status quo.

WipeHero

Just a year after completing Sydney Uni鈥檚听, PhD student Farid Mirmohseni and partner Reza Keshavarzi are already making a big splash with their waterless carwash service,听听The pair are out to disrupt the 鈥檆haotic鈥� fleet car washing industry, using waterless and environmentally sustainable technology.

WipeHero听booked $200,000 in sales during their time in INCUBATE鈥檚 program, and have since tripled their revenue. Clients include GoGet, Hertz and Stratton, and they have also recently received $100,000 in grant funding from the NSW Government.

鈥淲e want to grow our business to create an impact in Australia and globally,鈥� says Farid. 鈥淲e are operating in Sydney and Melbourne at the moment and are looking at expanding into the US soon.鈥�

鈥淩unning a start-up means that you face challenges on a day-to-day basis,鈥� he says.听鈥淓very day we鈥檙e solving a new problem, whether that鈥檚 to improve our products, or to better our customer experience in scale.鈥�

Jamie & I听

Master of Commerce student Antonia Bolla wants to change the way people shop for clothes as time becomes more precious. Inspired by Spotify鈥檚 鈥楧iscover Weekly鈥� playlist, Antonia concocted a virtual shopping assistant to combat those frustrating 鈥檔othing-to-wear moments鈥� that always seem to occur right before a big outing. Her app prompts users to take a simple online quiz, which is then used to generate tailored outfit recommendations based on their taste and budget.

The idea won the Hatch prize in 2016, providing Antonia with an intensive workshop, mentoring and business advice support, working space and $10,000 in seed funding. Last month, Antonia and her sister Lidia launched Jamie & I into the market and gained 500 subscriptions within the first three days.

鈥淲e鈥檙e now focusing on creating the best service possible for our customers, gathering and incorporating as much feedback as possible,鈥� says Antonia. 鈥淎t the same time, we鈥檙e working on building traction and getting the brands we鈥檇 like to showcase on board. We鈥檝e also applied for the HatchLab Incubator of the Sydney Social Innovation Hub.鈥�

Antonia says the experience is like a rollercoaster. 鈥淚t鈥檚 super turbulent, with new challenges arising each day that you don鈥檛 see coming, but new opportunities show themselves everyday too. The highs are definitely worth it; it鈥檚 such an exciting time and it just never gets boring, plus you learn so much.鈥澨�

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FluroSat

Nanosatellites and drones are the key to increasing farmers鈥� profits according to Malcom Ramsay and Anastasia Volkova, both research students at the University of Sydney. Their data-driven crop management tool, uses hyperspectral cameras to identify early signs of stress in crops, saving famers big on water, fertiliser and pesticides.

FluroSat won the University鈥檚 inaugural program last year, and has since joined Telstra鈥檚 Muru-D start-up accelerator.听

鈥淥ur proudest achievements so far have been receiving a finalists鈥� award in the World Bank #BigDataInnovate Challenge, winning the Cicada Innovations Collaboration Award, and having the opportunity to present a keynote address at StartCon Collaborations with industry bodies,鈥� says Anastasia.

They鈥檙e now monitoring crops in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also in continuous discussions with an ever-growing network of partners, including the world鈥檚 best sensor manufacturer,鈥� explains Anastasia.

For students interested in start-ups, Antonia, Anastasia and Farid all agree that the best thing to do is to dive in and let the ideas evolve.

鈥淢y advice would be to get away from the drawing board and try it first-hand,鈥� says Farid. 鈥淭he key is to keep failing fast and learning what does and doesn鈥檛 work. You will always have the tendency to over-prepare and that won鈥檛 work in a start-up.鈥�

Sydney Uni鈥檚 inaugural Start-Up Careers Fair

On Tuesday 11 April, the University鈥檚 first ever Start-Up Careers Fair will give interested students a chance to speak with leaders in the industry to find out about start-up career opportunities. As start-ups continue to transform the Australian economy, Career Development Officer Donna Denyer stresses that the Fair is invaluable not only for entrepreneurial students 鈥� but anyone looking to find employment in the start-up space. Start-ups are now the , according to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. 听

鈥淲hether you work for or become the founder of a start-up, the experience can present an opportunity to be part of a small, fast-moving team where on a daily basis you are seeing the direct impact of your work,鈥� says Donna. 鈥淚t will be a challenging opportunity to work outside your comfort zone to expand your range of skills.鈥�

The Start-up Careers Fair is on Tuesday 11 April.