8 August 2018
Augmented reality specialist Alex Tolson from Lateral Vision has been named the South Australian Young Entrepreneur Scheme’s Entrepreneur of the Year at a graduation and awards ceremony held tonight at SAHMRI.
Mr Tolson, whose business specialises in interactive and immersive videography – featuring web-based virtual tours – provides users with a new platform to engage. He also took out the Business Growth Award.
SAYES is 12-month program delivered by Business SA and subsidised by the Department for Industry and Skills. The program has been designed to assist young South Australians aged 18-35 years to turn their business concept into a reality or focus on creating a sustainable model for a newly established enterprise.
The Class of 2017, which has spent the past 12 months being mentored, developing business plans, growing in confidence and testing ideas on the wider business world, graduated this evening.
The Eyre Peninsula’s Rachel Hawkins featured at the event as a graduate, after taking part in SAYES to bolster her business, My EP.
My EP is a shop local business directory designed to connect both businesses and consumers on the Eyre Peninsula. Locals buying directly from Eyre Peninsula businesses are rewarded through a loyalty card scheme. My EP is a great example of regional locals supporting their communities.
Business SA Manager of Learning Solutions, Kerry Sutton, said the Class of 2017 represented the fresh face of commerce in South Australia across a range of emerging industries.
“Business SA wants to see our SAYES participants believe in themselves and achieve the success they deserve thanks to the hard work they’ve put in over the past year,” Ms Sutton said.
“We’re constantly investing in the next generation of business in South Australia and helping our small to medium size enterprise economy to grow. We know how important this program is to young people needing a hand to get up and running, and we’ve seen how successful it has been in the 19 years we’ve been running SAYES.”
The final two SAYES awards, the Business Plan and Mentor of the Year awards, went to Melissa Little of VENYU and Graeme Alder from Alders Business Consulting respectively.
Ms Little’s business specialises in promoting southern suburbs and regional wedding venues.
Ms Sutton said the award winners stood out because of their professionalism, commitment to improving their offerings and their passion for business.
“We’ve had so many young, talented entrepreneurs find their feet through SAYES, and we look forward to seeing our graduates take the next leap forward,” Ms Sutton said.
For further information about the SAYES Class of 2017 and the award winners or to arrange an interview, please call Verity Edwards on 0412 678 942.