Highlands robotics entrepreneur Paul Hemans on 2023 iAccelerate RISE Summit

The iAccelerate RISE Summit brings regional businesses together with industry leaders, angel investors, venture capital investors and government to explore ways to progress their business plans, attract new customers and secure investment.

READ MORE:

Mr Hemans was one of a number of regional entrepreneurs to take part in the 2023 summit, which he described as an "incredible" opportunity.

"I tend to get very excited about sharing my vision," he said.

"The summit showed me how vital it is to communicate to my audience in a way that they can relate to if I want them to share my excitement and get on board with my business idea."

Mr Hemans, who has a background in software development, agriculture and logistics, arrived at this year's summit driving a "larger-than-life" robot. And with hopes for the future of robotics in local education.

"My robots can be configured for a range of different purposes from mowing the lawn or carrying freight to farming," he said.

"My idea is to make these available in schools for kids to program with a relevant function for the world they live in, rather than tinkering with toys.

"I have school aged kids of my own and can see the need for robotics in their learning, to put us ahead in this global sector of rapid growth," Mr Hemans said.

The summit was a collaboration between Wingecarribee Shire Council and the University of Wollongong to help build business connections, insights and mentoring for regional entrepreneurs.

"What I took away from this great event is that having a brilliant business idea is just the beginning," Mr Hemans said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular newsletters