Catalyst is the InnoLab Programme designed and developed specifically to support Brunei’s tertiary community, in collaboration with our Academic Partner, Universiti Teknologi Brunei and our Entrepreneurship Partner, Darussalam Enterprise .
Academic Partner
Innovation Partner
Entrepreneurship Partner
Tertiary students and recent graduates often lack experience in their field of study, and have a limited view of the depth & breadth of career options and pathways available to them. Catalyst will support the development of innovation expertise of those seeking to become ‘problem solvers’, and the entrepreneurial capability of those seeking to become entrepreneurs.
The Catalyst Founders Series will support the creation and development of first-time entrepreneurs, who, as young founders will create their own product, establish & grow their own business, and build their future to be their own boss. The Catalyst Builders Series will support those keen to apply the knowledge & skills gained at university, to address and solve real-world problems.
• Create your Product • Build your Business • Be your own Boss
• Create your Product
• Build your Business
• Be your own Boss
The Founders Series will provide real-world, hands-on experience of an entrepreneur’s journey, from conceiving an idea through to starting up a new business. Founders will get the opportunity to develop an idea that solves a real problem, create a new product or service to meet the customers’ needs, and work towards starting up their own business.
Founders will be exposed to many aspects of innovation & entrepreneurship via workshops, hands-on mentoring and coaching from Bruneian and global entrepreneurs, investors and experts. This includes learning how to ‘be creative’ & innovating new products & services, establishing & managing a founding team, engaging customers, fundamentals of setting up a new business, through to presenting to investors & senior executives.
Catalyst is the perfect opportunity to turn a class project or that great idea, into a real business.
With the aim of supporting the creation of new student & graduate owned businesses, upon completion of Catalyst, Founders will be invited to pitch for Awards. These Awards will support the ongoing development of the new business, including developing products or services, securing customers, setting up the new business, generating sales.
The Awards will include :
- Financial Awards – for development of products / services, executing the commercialization strategy, establishing the new business.
- Mentoring – hands-on start-up, innovation, commercialization and capital raising mentoring.
- DST Guidance – technical, market and commercial advice from DST senior executives; access to proprietary DST market knowledge, intelligence and customer understanding; potential sourcing of customers for product validation; opportunity to leverage DST’s channels to market and sales eco-system.
- Start-Up Support – entrance into DARe’s start-up and entrepreneurship education and development programmes, such as Accelerator, BootCamp, Business Mentoring; opportunity to apply for DARe’s ‘Co-Matching’ financing grant.
• Apply your Knowledge • Enhance your Expertise • Solve your Problems
• Apply your Knowledge
• Enhance your Expertise
• Solve your Problems
The Builders Series will provide real-world, hands-on experience of an innovator’s journey, from identifying the problem through to developing – and possibly even implementing – the solution. Builders will get the opportunity to work with DST’s management, and DST’s Bruneian & international partners, while solving DST’s problem statements and building solutions to meet DST’s needs.
Builders will gain first-hand experience in aspects of creativity & innovation, via workshops, coaching and sharing from Bruneian and global experts and professionals. This includes learning how to define the customer’s problems and needs, ‘be creative’ to develop new solutions, innovating new products & services, establishing & managing the relationship with the customer, through to testing and validating the solution with the customer to ensure their needs are met
Catalyst is the perfect opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills gained at university to address real-world technical and commercial needs.
With the aim of supporting the creation of young Bruneian ‘problem solvers’, upon completion of Catalyst, teams will be invited to pitch for Awards. These Awards could support the ongoing development of the newly created solution with DST, or the opportunity to work on other projects at DST.
The Awards will include :
- Financial Awards – for solutions that meet DST’s requirements.
- Paid Internships – opportunity to work with DST to address problem statements, develop creative & innovative solutions for DST, and our customers and clients.
- Mentoring – hands-on technical and commercial mentoring and support by senior executives from DST and their partners.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Catalyst?
Catalyst is a ‘real-world’ innovation & entrepreneurship programme run by DST InnoLab to support Brunei tertiary graduates with their future
employment opportunities. Upon completing Catalyst, participants might take part in paid-internships or establish their own businesses. - What does it cost to take part in Catalyst?
Catalyst is free for Participants. - Who is Catalyst for?
This second Cycle of Catalyst is open to UTB graduates – those who have graduated in the past 5-years. - Is Catalyst just for Business studies graduates?
Not at all. Catalyst is open to UTB graduates from ANY & EVERY School & Faculty – business, economics, finance, accounting, all engineering
schools (chemical, electrical, mechanical, mechatronic, etc.), computer science & informatics, all sciences (any domain), etc. - Why is Catalyst only for graduates?
This second Cycle of Catalyst is focused on UTB graduates who have completed their studies and are currently seeking employment
opportunities, and can therefore set aside the time, effort and commitment to take part in an intensive, and fast-moving programme. - Do Catalyst Participants need to have technical or business skills?
Participants do not need to have any prior technical or business skills, experience, or knowledge – everything you need to know is taught
during Catalyst. - What do Participants do during Catalyst?
There are two streams for Catalyst, Founders & Builders. The Founders Series is for those wanting to become entrepreneurs, where the focus
is on creating their own product, to start their own business. The Builders Series is for those interested in being ‘problem solvers’, where the
focus is on solving DST’s problems. - What do Participants get out of Catalyst?
Upon completing Catalyst, Founders & Builders will be invited to pitch for Awards. Founders can get funding and hands-on support to build
their business. Builders can get paid-internships. - What takes place during Catalyst?
Participants will: attend 2 to 3 half-day workshops every week; be coached by Bruneian entrepreneurs, investors & experts; get hands-on
mentoring by the InnoLab; get hands-on coaching by DST senior management. Alongside this support, Founders are expected to spend time
building their products and Builders will be working with DST senior management to solve their challenges. - Where is Catalyst held?
All Catalyst workshops and events are held at DST InnoLab, at the DST Headquarters, Lebuhraya Tungku. - Do Participants need to be in teams?
Participants can join as a team or can grow their team during the programme. Founder Series teams might find it easier to have a mix of
skill-sets in the team. Builders Series will form teams around the DST challenge they are interested in solving. - Can individuals join Catalyst?
Catalyst is open to individuals wanting to take part on their own, collaborate with other individuals, or join other teams. - What happens if Participants want to withdraw from Catalyst?
Participants are allowed to withdraw from Catalyst at any time they want during the Programme – there are no costs or penalties associated
with withdrawing.
Eligibility
- Catalyst Cycle 2 is aimed at graduates seeking employment, and is therefore a high intensity programme. Participants will be expected to commit time and have the capacity to attend 2 to 4 workshops each week (weekdays & weekends – dates to be advised), and spend a further 1 to 2-days a week of their own time working on their business concepts.
- Graduates should have graduated within the past 5-years. All entrants must be at least 18-years old.
- Team Size – there is no restriction on team size – individuals to larger teams are eligible to take part.
Ideally, Founders will create a balanced team to ensure a good combination of technical (engineering / technology),
finance and marketing skills. Builders teams will be created around specific problem statements.
Expectations
- Engagement – entrants must attend all workshops, and take part in the Mentoring and DST Coaching Clinics, as these are opportunities to learn & apply best practice, which will support the development of the Founders’ business opportunities and the Builders’ solutions. Lack of attendance to workshops, Mentoring Clinics, DST Coaching Clinics, will impact eligibility of participants to take part in Awards.
- Doing IT!! – Catalyst is for Founders wanting to build their own businesses and Builders wanting to develop real-world solutions. Participants are therefore expected to commit a lot their time ‘in the real-world’, developing real solutions and business opportunities. Participants that do not commit time and effort putting their learnings into practice, are likely to struggle to meet eligibility requirements to take part in Awards. Catalyst is not theory – it is putting theory into practice!
- Active Support – entrants will get access to a wide range of support throughout Catalyst, including: workshops
by experts; mentoring and coaching by DST senior executives, Bruneian entrepreneurs, investors & professionals.
Rules
- IP Ownership – entrants will own their own IP (intellectual property) through-out the Catalyst Programme. Entrants are required to ensure that they own, or have sufficient permission to use, any IP that is or will be used as part of the idea. Entrants will be responsible for any consequences or losses that arise as a result of the teams or resulting business using intellectual property without permission. Entrants are responsible for the protection of their own IP at all times.
- Confidentiality – InnoLab & DST will treat entrants’ ideas / concepts / products / services, etc., as confidential and will aim to treat all entrants’ matters accordingly. However, entrants are responsible to protect any information concerning their solutions / products or services / businesses, that is shared with advisors, team members and fellow entrants.
- Marketing & Media – by taking part in Catalyst the entrants agree that they will participate in any associated marketing, promotion or media activities and provide their consent and authorisation for the use of any marketing materials obtained during Catalyst.
- Withdrawal – DST reserves the right to withdraw any entrant from Catalyst at any time, for any reason.