There’s a new program giving a platform to Australia’s next generation of startups so they can turn their ideas into game-changing businesses.

The Co-Action Project is a collaborative new initiative aimed at connecting up-and-coming startups, entrepreneurs and service providers so they can come up with new ways to do business, right now.

Launched by sixty:forty, an Australian business platform for entrepreneurs, small business owners, service providers and professionals, The Co-Action Project kicks off with an eight-week online program starting in August 2021 and culminates in a major event on the Gold Coast in September 2021.

A boot camp for innovators

Over the eight-week course, The Co-Action Project will teach founders and aspiring business owners how to start, build, manage and grow their businesses and benefit their local economies. The sessions will help founders clarify their ‘why’, refine their ideas, test and validate them, construct their MVP (Minimum Viable Product), and prepare to go to market.

The highlight of The Co-Action Project will be an in-person all-day event at HOTA, Home of the Arts on Queensland’s Gold Coast in September. With more than 80 attendees, the event will bring together new business founders, local small businesses, service providers, venture capitalists and potential investors for one-on-one appointments, panel discussions and networking sessions to collaborate on successful business ideas together.

It’s been pitched as ‘speed dating for startups’ – a rare moment to collaborate with others whose ideas can change how we do business.

Thinking outside of the box

From the latest possibilities in Aussie tech to alternative commerce solutions, the opportunities are endless. sixty:forty Co-Founder and CEO Sheree Cusack hopes to help founders think outside of the box – and come up with ideas that have a real-world impact.

“We want to positively contribute to the cultural transformation of our Australian business community by helping startup founders understand how to leverage alternative commerce solutions such as joint ventures, strategic partnerships, or even co-founding and barter, available during this exciting time in Australia’s economy,” Cusack says.

Despite the more headline-grabbing hype around cryptocurrency, Cusack thinks there’s an opportunity for businesses to talk about the real-world applications and what might come next.

The Gold Coast will play host to The Co-Action Project’s major event. Image: Supplied.

“We want all business owners to think outside the traditional methods of just using cash to get access to what they need, such as the adoption of cryptocurrency in business as a preferred method of payment, which can significantly expand the pathways of possibility within their business,” she adds.

Small business innovation, local style

The emphasis on community collaboration is what sets The Co-Action Project apart. According to sixty:forty Co-Founder Spencer Toogood, the event will prove you don’t need the backing of the biggest brands or agencies to make the magic happen.

“The Co-Action Project is centred on creating opportunities through local collaboration, particularly by challenging the notion that only large agencies or well-known brands can deliver high-quality professional services,” Toogood says.

“This event will encourage new ways of thinking about how to do business by helping attendees discover unconventional partnership agreements on the day, bringing about business opportunities that perhaps wouldn’t have occurred under traditional ways of thinking about exchanges for service.”

So the idea is that you don’t need the top of town to do the top end of innovation. All you need are the right contacts with the right ideas.

It’s a principle at the core of sixty:forty, a recently launched platform that’s creating an ecosystem for small businesses to thrive.

Sixty:forty helps businesses with areas such as innovative technology, professional development, collaborative partnerships and industry events. Their goal is to help 10,000 small business owners double their net profit and decrease their working time in their businesses by December 31, 2022.

Do you have a great business idea? Or are you an investor, service provider or local business wanting to collaborate at the event? Register here to be a part of The Co-Action Project, powered by sixty:forty.

This content is brought to you by Startup Daily in partnership with sixty:forty.