Switch Festival Addresses Urgent Need For Companies To Innovate

Switch Festival Addresses Urgent Need For Companies To Innovate

Some of Australia’s largest businesses are preparing to come together with entrepreneurs, start-ups and some of Sydney’s brightest university students for SWITCH Festival, a three day innovation festival to be held in Sydney from August 27th to 29th, with all proceeds going to Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.

The brain child of Silicon Valley disruption consultant, Mark Zawacki from 650 Labs, together with Cure Brain Cancer Foundation CEO, Catherine Stace, SWITCH is designed to address an urgent need for innovation within Australian companies, as they work to defend against the disruption occurring in every sector.

“The digital disruption currently facing large companies is estimated to be bigger than the Industrial Revolution,” said Zawacki, who will fly into Sydney to co-host the festival at the University of New South Wales. “Industries in Australia and around the world are experiencing unprecedented change and upheaval as they are fundamentally reshaped by digitisation, technology and business model innovation. And all the while, new and unanticipated disruptors are entering incumbent markets.

“We know that 80 percent of Australian business leaders see innovation as a priority, yet fewer than half consider their companies truly innovative. And with a country dominated by traditional industries like manufacturing, retail, mining and agriculture, the role of innovation has never been more important.”

“Nothing like this has ever been done before in Australia. SWITCH is designed to bring together a group of amazing people and provide a safe environment for rapid inter-industry experimentation and collaboration, with the sole purpose of achieving innovative and commercial outcomes in a compressed timeframe,” said SWITCH co-founder and Cure Brain Cancer CEO, Catherine Stace.

“Fifty years ago, the life expectancy for a Forbes 500 company was 75 years. Now it’s a mere 15 years. The need to future proof business in Australia has never been more urgent.”

 




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Jason Dooris

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