What is a MEC Fireside Chat?

Get inspired, challenge your own approach, ask burning questions!

The Melbourne Entrepreneurial Centre's Fireside Chat series is designed to help founders learn from people who have 'been there and done that’.

If you're ready to take your startup idea to the next step, or even if you're just interested in the startup ecosystem and want to learn more - come along and hear the journey of a prominent leader in the entrepreneurial community. Here's a chance to discover actionable advice and strategies that may assist you in accelerating your own entrepreneurial journey.

Who is Presenting?

We are excited to welcome Nick Kaye, Director of the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship.

About Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship

The Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship is a leading Australian centre for entrepreneurial support and training located at Ormond College, University of Melbourne.

Established in 2015 thanks to a generous gift from entrepreneur Peter Wade, The Institute delivers a range of immersive education programs, including The University of Melbourne’s Master of Entrepreneurship, VC Catalyst, our investor education program powered by LaunchVic, and UpSchool, our teacher professional development program.

Format

• Welcome and introduction (5 mins)

• Guest speaker story (10 mins)

• Interview by facilitator (15 mins)

• Audience Q&A (30 mins)

Speaker profile

With more than 25 years’ experience and a leading global reputation, Nick Kaye is an inspirational, transformational, and visionary leader with a passion for driving next generation entrepreneurship.

Prior to joining the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship, Kaye served as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney School of Entrepreneurship where he was appointed in 2016 and under his leadership Sydney School of Entrepreneurship welcomed over 5000 participants and hosted more than 120 activities. Student entrepreneurs from across the state participated in domestic and global courses and co-curricular activities.

In 2018, on behalf of the Sydney School of Entrepreneurship, Kaye accepted the prestigious Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Center’s (GCEC) Award for Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Centre, recognising international excellence for a centre less than five years old.

Before joining the Sydney School of Entrepreneurship, Kaye was the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship for a decade.

Kaye’s tenure saw the school build its world-class reputation for educating students who have gone on to extraordinary business success, including two “unicorns”, startups worth more than US$1 billion each.

Possessing a global perspective, Kaye has initiated, contributed to, and presented at conferences and workshops in more than 20 countries. He has served on boards and committees for organisations globally in the innovation and entrepreneurship space, including Advisory Committees for the Sydney Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Sydney Startup Hub.

Kaye holds certificates from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, MIT Sloan School of Management, and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He was awarded a Master of Science Degree, in International Economics and Business, from the Stockholm School of Economics, and has Bachelor Degrees in Arts and in Commerce from the University of Melbourne.