The Future Founders Youth Entrepreneurship Program, initiated under the guidance of Natasha Teakle, commenced in March with a cohort of ten individuals aged 16-25. The program aimed to cultivate entrepreneurial skills, and foster innovative thinking among our young participants.
Each Future Founder has received a $1,000 bursary on completion of the program, to support their business venture
Future Founders Masterclasses
Masterclass 1: Introductory Session
Led by Natasha Teakle, where participants discussed their business ideas, refined their ‘why’ statements, and identified their ideal customers.
Masterclass 2: Investment Readiness
Presented by South West Angels members Amy Carter-James and Rob Davis, this session covered all things investing.
“I really enjoyed the more advanced look at fundraising and approaching investors, it definitely helped in understanding what investors are looking for and how to engage them with a structured approach. Amy’s personal experience was a great example of how playing your cards right can make it work; however, Rob’s strategic approach really highlights the importance of minimising risk and using the tools provided to create a well-rounded business case and value proposition to present to investors.”
Meet the Entrepreneur: Mohinder Jaimangal – Design Thinking
Mo Jaimangal, founder of Curve Tomorrow and a robotics engineer with 20+ years in tech. Mo explored how design thinking can transform your product into something customers love, as well as sharing insights on developing user-friendly health technologies.
“I loved everything! How Mo engaged with everyone, the activities he set, the structure of the session. It was amazing!”
Masterclass 3: Stuart Wesley –
Developing your personal leadership plan and Pro-D Vocational Assessment
Stuart Wesley introduced the cohort to the Pro-D Vocational Assessment and delved into details with each founder’s results, one-on-one.
Meet the Entrepreneur: Claire Deeks – Marketing & Business Growth
Led by Marketing Manager & Growth Strategist at The Small Business Lounge, Claire Deeks. Claire guided the room through the ins and outs of marketing and how implementing effective strategies can assist in business growth. The session was attended by a vibrant mix of local business owners and our 2025 Future Founders cohort.
“Claire was very engaging, very detailed, and explained everything clearly. It was great to hear about the trials and errors from someone who has real world experience.”
Masterclass 4: Michael Pasquale –
Understanding and Protecting your Intellectual Property
Michael Pasquale from Wrays outlined the basics of IP and how to protect your business ideas.
Meet the Entrepreneur: Simona Hughes – Financial Resilience
Simona Hughes, Managing Director of Financial Utilities spoke about financial freedom and how to transform your business while maintaining a fulfilling work-life balance.
Masterclass 5: Jung Park – Customer Validation
Jung Park is a coach, entrepreneur, speaker, strategist, professor, and author. Jung guided our Future Founders through the strategic and innovative mindset frameworks for them to own their paths and achieve individual success.
Future Founders Showcase Event
The Future Founders Showcase featured a powerful mix of entrepreneurial energy from a group of bold, creative, and courageous young people, including those running growing businesses, to those testing brand new ideas, and others just starting their journey by exploring real-world problems worth solving.
Family and friends of our future founders, sponsors, mentors, local school staff, along with City of Busselton’s Cr Valerie Kaigg and Mayor Phill Cronin, attended the Future Founders event at the Goose Beach Bar & Cafe on 23 May 2025.
Over the past 12 weeks, these emerging founders have explored design thinking, problem-solving, branding, marketing, financial resilience, and so much more, all guided by experienced mentors and industry leaders.
From addressing Perth’s rental crisis with a FIFO housing platform, to launching accessibility consultancies, natural products, tech solutions, and service businesses – the ideas were innovative, impactful, and inspiring.
Some highlights:
- One founder shared a model to match renters and FIFO workers.
- Another is helping businesses create genuinely inclusive marketing and communications strategies.
- We heard about a unique two-way marketplace that connects clients with trusted tradespeople while allowing tradies to manage their schedules and availability—all in one platform.
- Another founder is building professional drone-based aerial mapping and data services, turning high-resolution imagery into valuable site insights.
- A rapidly growing cleaning and hygiene business that has expanded in just 15 months is now looking at incorporating support services.
Dianne Laurance Scholarship
Congratulations to Amy van Niekerk, who was awarded the $2,000 Female Founder Scholarship to support her business venture.
“I want to expand my passion for food and wellness into a platform that fosters healthy relationships with food, builds community, and addresses isolation”
– Future Founder, Amy van Niekerk
If you are a young entrepreneur interested in joining the 2025 Future Founders cohort 2 program, please complete the EOI form.
Interested in Partnering with us for the Future Founders cohort 2 Program in July – click here.
A huge thank you to our Future Founder Youth Entrepreneurship Sponsors.
