Each Wednesday we interview women in our community about innovation and what drives them to make a difference in their industries everyday!
What are you currently working on?
Wildlife Drones are developing a lightweight, multi-rotor drone system that can accurately, efficiently and robotically track radio-tagged animals from the air. We’ve had interest from all over the world from people keen to understand animal behaviour. This is crucial to preserving many threatened and endangered species.
The key value proposition for our customers is the significant increase in both the amount and quality of data that can be realised through the reduction in time and effort that is currently required to locate radio-tagged animals. We are currently working on getting our first commercial prototype airborne. We have a strong customer pipeline just waiting for our product and we will start delivering to them within the next few months.
Why is innovation important to you?
I can’t believe how far out of my comfort zone I’ve come with this project and I can’t believe how much I’m enjoying it!
The world of startups and innovation was so foreign to me but I’ve loved every moment of our project’s journey and guess what? We’ve only just started!
What drives you to make a difference?
I love driving my own project and not being a small cog in a big machine.
I love learning new things every day and applying them to real world problems.
Do you have any advice for getting more women into the innovation ecosystem?
Don’t be put off by what you think a typical innovator looks like. Not everyone is a young bloke dressed in black who wants to write an app that goes viral! One study found that the typical founder is 40 years old with 6-10 years of industry experience. Another found that that startup teams with at least one female founder performed 63 per cent better than all male teams.
I know I have a tendency, and I think a lot of women do, to wait until everything is perfect and all bases are aligned before deciding to take the next step – but you know what? You’ll be waiting forever! So, don’t just sit there – take the plunge! You’ll be amazed at what’s possible.
If you’re a bit further down the track with your ideas – don’t forget to stop and take stock of all that you’ve achieved every now and then.