Bond University Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship Baden U'Ren has proven he can practice what he preaches, taking out the StartupHouse Battlefield at the iconic co-working space in the heart of Silicon Valley.
Dr U'Ren pitched start-up, Ditterich Agriculture, against five other new ventures from around the world to win a month of space in the renowned San Francisco venue, which is surrounded by powerhouse start-up and tech companies Yahoo, Twitter and Slack.
He and co-founders, Bond MBA students Caile Ditterich and Shiny Su, plan on making the most of their prize, but are proud to call the Gold Coast home for their AgTech start-up.
Ditterich Agriculture is a hand-held grain analysis and management tool designed to deliver increased margins for crop farmers, and is an early stage start-up.
Dr U'Ren took part in StartupHouse Battlefield as part of a Bond study tour to Silicon Valley, which exposed entrepreneurial students to a range of vibrant start-ups and spaces including Google, 99Designs, Hacker Dojo and RocketSpace - where Uber and Spotify were born.
"I went up against some serious competitors in the Battlefield, so it was a real coup to come out on top," said Dr U'Ren.
"Some of the other ventures were significantly further progressed in their development, so to be named the winner is a great endorsement of our concept and that we are moving in the right direction."
Dr U'Ren said the study tour had been eye opening for students and ignited their passion for creative and strategic thinking.
"Silicon Valley is pretty much the epicentre for tech and start-up companies," he said.
"The students had the opportunity to meet and learn from those who are going out and making their ideas a reality, and it has really pushed them to start taking that next step."