METS Ignited proudly supported the inaugural First Nations X masterclass initiative held last week in Perth and attended by 120 Indigenous business owners, startups and investors. In recognising the long-standing role of knowledge and science in First Nations societies, we want to play a role in fostering this in our sector today.
The event included a formal welcome by Elder Robyn Collard, fireside chats with venture capitalists Bill Tai (early investor in Twitter, Canva, ZOOM), Peter Rossdeutscher (Red Terra Investments), Remy Crick (Indigenous Capital Limited) as well as Kylah Morrison (GM of METS Ignited) and indigenous ecosystem facilitators Les Delaforce (Indigenous Entrepreneurship – Minderoo Foundation) and Kyra Galante (First Nations Participation Director – Worley).
Founders of indigenous owned and led business ventures Florence Drummond (Kara Ged); Richard Tester (RASP and Red Arrow Group); and Morgan Coleman (LaMint) also shared their own business journeys with attendees.
CoFounder of First Nations X, Peter Rossdeutscher said around $2 Billion is generated annually by more than 12,000 Indigenous businesses across Australia.
“Technology and startups to support the resources and METS sectors is a strong area that is growing exponentially,” Mr Rossdeutscher said.
“Scaling startups through programs like First Nations X can have significant benefits for individuals, communities and economies.”
“Additionally, Indigenous businesses are up to 100 times more likely to employ Indigenous Australians. They also diversify economic outcomes and contribute toward broader social and cultural well-being,” he said.
METS Ignited General Manager WA & SA, Kylah Morrison said METS Ignited was thrilled to support First Nations X in its first year running as part of West Tech Fest.
“The networking and stories shared were particularly valuable, being told through a lens of First Nations groups and individuals.”
Presenter Florence Drummond, Founder of Indigenous Women in Mining and Resources Australia (IWIMRA) commented that “the Green Energy Transition is a huge driver for more First Nation businesses to enter the innovation and technology space.”
Background
First Nations X was Founded by Paula Taylor and Peter Rossdeutscher. Supporting the program are a range of organisations including METS Ignited, Atomic Sky, Minderoo Foundation, Innovative Energy Solutions, West Tech Fest, Atomic Sky, Curtin University, StartUp WA, The State Government of Western Australia and Red Terra Investments.
The event was free and open to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples. More information is available at www.FirstNationsX.io
METS Ignited is the Industry Growth Centre (IGC) for the Mining Equipment, Technology and Services sector. In operation for six years, METS Ignited successfully supported the commercialisation of technology addressing the needs of the resources sector:
- $16 million investment into 35 projects.
- 76 Industry participants, bringing more that 20 new Australian innovations to market.
- Creating over 1000 local jobs with a combined revenue estimate of $900 million by 2025.
METS Ignited supported the establishment of CRC’s including the Future Battery Industries (FBI-CRC), the formation of the Electric Mine Consortium (EMC) and the newly formed enviroMETS (Qld) Limited; established to find sustainable ways to make mining impacted land valuable to its future custodians.
METS Ignited is translating Australia’s research and innovations into products and services, to serve global markets across multiple industries, delivered by Australian technology companies, from within our national economy.
Download full Media Statement
Kula Lee McKeon, Peter Rossdeutscher, Kyra Galante, Kylah Morrison and Richard Tester
