blog posts
Difference Makers
Koongarra cultural tourism: creating experiences and opportunities in Kakadu National Park
Meet Difference Maker James Morgan and cultural tourism entrepreneur. James was a participant of our most recent Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) Accelerator Program. “I feel privileged to have an education, but I had to move away. I want to create more opportunities in Kakadu, so that culture isn’t neglected in exchange for life’s new age demands.” At 22 years old, Bininj man James Morgan has entered the entrepreneurial world. James has set out to build a for-purpose tourism business that serves community and customers, in partnership with his uncle and Koongarra traditional ... READ MORE
Long-standing cultural connections forge new trade links between Australia and PNG
While it seems like these women live separate lives in separate parts of the world, they are in fact, connected by a deep thread uncovered during the #PNGAusPartnership Laikim Sister pilot program. Laikim Sister is an Australian Government supported program delivered in partnership with TDi, that connects Indigenous Australian and PNG women entrepreneurs. The program highlights that there are deeply embedded and long-standing connections between Papua New Guinea and Australia, and when highlighted, they create opportunity for business and industry growth. Game Enough? creates foods and beverages that adopt the flavours of the Australian bush. READ MORE
Here’s to the difference makers…
Australia’s bushfire disaster has shown that hope and leadership can come from unlikely places and shows us a new way forward. We entered this new year in a tumultuous way, as our beautiful country burns, homes lost, people displaced and devastation of wildlife and bushland. This is a time for leadership, compassion and finding a different way forward. We’ve been encouraged by those who have stepped up in this crisis. They’ve come from sometimes unexpected places, but offer hope as they seek to be the difference makers. Here’s just a few… The crafters Who knew knitting ... READ MORE
Investing in more than a business: Investor engagement with Essence of Fiji
Recently we took Deb Sadranu, Founder and Managing Director of Essence of Fiji to meet with our investment partners, Enterprise Angels in New Zealand. Enterprise Angels has facilitated over $40M of investment in 80 different early stage and established businesses since launching in 2008. Founder Bill Murphy and Impact Investment manager, Kristen Joiner (pictured) are proactively building interest in impact investing amongst their members and many have expressed a strong interest in doing good and making money. We have been working with Essence of Fiji, in partnership with Pacific RISE ... READ MORE
Modern Slavery – it is closer than you think
Modern slavery refers to slavery as it exists in the world today, which entraps people through forced labour, being owned or controlled by their employer, dehumanised or treated like a commodity, or physically constrained. More than 40 million people globally are in modern slavery. In March, TDi was invited to Stop the Traffik’s inaugural modern slavery conference. This came about because the Modern Slavery Act passed in parliament last year. Stop the Traffik campaigned for years to make this happen. The Act is a landmark achievement which will push significant reforms across many ... READ MORE
Two Feet 2017/18 – where are they now?
Over the years we’ve seen first-hand how hard it can be to build sustainable organisations that create positive change in the world. We’ve built an accelerator program specifically for social entrepreneurs to give them the tools and confidence they need to build and run sustainable social enterprises and mission-led businesses. Since 2013, over 250 people have taken part in our Two Feet accelerator program and we’ve seen the incredible progress of many of those businesses. To share their inspiration, here are just some of the successful social enterprises we’ve worked with over the ... READ MORE
TDi in the Pacific: Q&A with our Head of Pacific Programs Anna
Anna Moegerlein works here at TDi heading up our consulting and business development in the Pacific. She recently sat down with Sam Cook at Pacific Legal Network (PLN) Australia to share about TDi’s work in the Pacific, and to shed some light on what drives everything that we do in the ‘do good make money’ space. *The following interview was originally posted on PLN’s blog here. Q: You currently work at TDi, can you please tell me more about what TDi does and why you get out of bed and go to work every day? TDi was founded by investors and entrepreneurs to awaken the ... READ MORE
Two Feet Profile: big little brush
The Two Feet Melbourne Accelerator 2018 is up and running, and our first cohort of the year, Melbourne, is already in the thick of it. They’ve covered mission, modeling and a variety of other key ingredients that are a part of the Two Feet Accelerator that will help to supercharge their journey to impact over the next few months. (From Sydney and want to take part in Two Feet? Applications are still open! Check it out here.) We’ve just announced the 7 social entrepreneurs who made the cut, which you can read here. And now before we do anything else, we wanted to share with you a ... READ MORE
Two Feet Profile: Speakers Bank
In the countdown to our Two Feet Showcase, we are profiling some of the teams we’ve been working with over the last six months. Next on the list is Speakers Bank – a platform of professional speakers who experience disability or old age, who aim to inspire people with their shared experiences. We sat down with Mimi Laurilla, the co-ordinator at Speakers Bank to hear more. What problem is Speakers Bank tackling? We live in a world where people are defined not only by the way they look, their ethnicity or cultural background, but also on the basis of whether they have a ... READ MORE
Two Feet Profile: Farmwall
In the countdown to our Two Feet Showcase, we are profiling some of the teams we’ve been working with over the last six months. First up is Farmwall – they are transforming our cities into food-growing ecosystems. We sat down with Farmwall’s co-founder and chief communications officer Serena Lee about her experience. What problem is Farmwall tackling? Producing food for our cities causes a number of different problems, from climate change, to pollution, to deforestation. The inefficiencies in the way we produce food creates food waste and further waste from the plastic packaging it ... READ MORE
Undercover at Two Feet: Investment
Welcome to the sixth instalment of Undercover at Two Feet, where we cover each Two Feet topic as they unfold. From Intent, to Funding and Pitching, to Team and Governance, our Two Feeters are covering a lot of ground this year, and we want to take you inside. This week was all about investment with Ishani Chattopadhyay, read on to find out what was was covered… Date: 1/8/2017 Location: The Academy, 50 Miller St, North Sydney Facilitator: Ishani Chattopadhyay Session: Investment Vibe: It should come as no surprise that as soon as the topic turns to “how to get more money ... READ MORE
Case Study: Family by Family
Opportunity In 2010 the South Australian Government asked the Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI) to design a program that would reduce the number of families needing crisis services, and keep more kids out of the child protection system. Many families were moving through the state care systems at an alarming rate and ultimately, too few families were thriving. In 2016, social enterprise TACSI engaged TDi to collaborate on the project, and ultimately to turn a truly great pilot program into a sustainable and scalable social enterprise. The 'Nitty Gritty' The ... READ MORE