We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and to show you personalised advertising. To find out more, read our privacy policy and cookie policy

Skip to Content
University of Wollongong Australia. Logo. University of Wollongong Australia. Logo. University of Wollongong Australia. Logo.
  • Search
  • Give
  • Library
  • Current Students
  • Staff
  • UOW Global
    • Our global presence
    • UOW in Dubai
    • UOW in Hong Kong
    • UOW in Malaysia
  • Menu
  • Study at UOW

    • Courses
    • Apply
    • Scholarships & grants
    • Accommodation
    • High-school students
    • Non-school leavers
    • Postgraduate students
    • International students
    • Moving to Wollongong
    • Study abroad & exchange
    • Global sport programs
    • Campuses
    Study at UOW
  • Engage

    • Future student
    • Alumni
    • Visit UOW
    • Woolyungah Indigenous Centre
    • Volunteer
    • The Stand Magazine
    • Community Members
    • Grants and funding
    • Give to UOW
    • Visit the Library
    • Key contacts
    • Educators & school teachers
    Engage with us
  • About UOW

    • Welcome
    • Our people
    • Services
    • Contacts
    • What's on
    • Global presence
    • Media Centre
    • Faculties & schools
    • Our vision & strategy
    • Our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Strategy
    • Our reputation & experience
    • Locations, campuses & partners
    See more about UOW
  • Research

    • Our research
    • Researcher support
    • Research impact
    • Partnership & collaboration
    • Graduate Research School
    • Commercial research
    • Global Challenges
    • Media, news & events
    • Find an expert
    • Our people
    See more about research
  • Industry

    • Generator Lab
    • Advantage SME
    • Success stories
    • Industry research engagement
    • Equipment & Labs
    • Funding opportunities
    • Intellectual property
    • Collaboration for business
    • Collaboration for researchers
    • Careers and employability
    See more about Industry
  • Alumni

    • Benefits
    • Outlook Magazine
    • Events & webinars
    • Volunteer
    • Awards
    • Honorary alumni
    • Testamurs & transcripts
    • Update your details
    • Your career journey
    • Contact us & FAQ
    See more about alumni
  • Quick links

    • Contact directory
    • Staff Intranet
    • Campus maps
    • Transport & parking
    • Key dates
    • Events
    • Password management
    • Jobs
    • Accommodation
    • Policy directory
  • Library
You are here More Pages
  • Home
  • About UOW
  • Media Centre
  • 2023
  • Imposter syndrome under the spotlight

Media Quick Links

  • Contact UOW Media
  • Visiting campus
  • Image library
  • UOW key facts
  • Find an expert
  • News Corp subscription
  • Sign up for the latest news from UOW Media

April 5, 2023


  • Story By
  • Alex Reszelska
  • Photo By
  • Mark Newsham
Share
Type
Media Release
Category
Business and Economy
Tags
Innovation CampusCareerCommunityiAccelerateIllawarraImpact Case StudiesImpact MakersInnovationWomen of ImpactSDG 10: Reduced InequalitiesSDG 5: Gender EqualitySDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

UOW in the News

Imposter syndrome under the spotlight

Entrepreneurial women meet at UOW's iAccelerate to discuss boosting female start-ups


Female founders typically receive less publicity in the media and have a harder time accessing funding than men. This gender gap means that even though women are as likely as men to turn their business ideas into innovative start-ups, they struggle to build and scale them up. A Deloitte report commissioned by SBE Australia showed that only 22 per cent of Australian start-ups are founded by women – and shockingly, only 0.7 per cent of start-up funding went to women-founded companies in 2022.

That’s why today (Wednesday 5 April), the University of Wollongong’s (UOW) business accelerator and incubator program iAccelerate hosted an Entrepreneurial Women’s Breakfast, an event for women and by women that aims to connect them around a shared interest in entrepreneurism.

Crowd at Entrepreneurial women's breakfast

Entrepreneurial Women’s Breakfast was hosted at iAccelerate to share the insights and stories of successful entrepreneurial women.

The Entrepreneurial Women’s Breakfast series was first launched in 2014 to share the insights and stories of successful entrepreneurial women. After pausing during the pandemic, the conversation series has now made a comeback. 

Today’s event,  opened  by UOW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Patricia M. Davidson, was organised to inspire a conversation about how female entrepreneurs can combat imposter syndrome and thrive in their careers.

During a panel discussion, successful local businesswomen and thought leaders – Kylie Flament, Leanne Isabella, Hayley Rodd, Nandeeta Maharaj and Deanna Maunsell – discussed various topics related to entrepreneurship, including funding, marketing and scaling a business. They also shared their experiences of navigating the male-dominated business world and overcoming gender biases.

The VC speech at Entrepreneurial women's breakfast UOW Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Patricia M. Davidson opened the event and encouraged the women to lift each other up.

Deanna Maunsell, CEO of Provum Ventures and General Manager of Operations at All Care Health Group, joined iAccelerate’s business incubator program in 2017. In 2018, alongside UOW commerce graduate Christopher Murphy, she co-founded All Care Health Services Group, a provider of innovative and personalised in-home care for the elderly.

In just over four years, the company has scaled incredibly quickly to become a stable job provider for the region. Now, it employs 234 people from the Illawarra and Shoalhaven (82 per cent of whom are women), delivering more than 5400 unique health appointments per month.

For Deanna, pursuing a career that aligns with her values, interests and strengths helped her succeed as a female entrepreneur, as did having a supportive community of other business owners at iAccelerate.

“I strongly believe in staying on top of education – the more you learn about entrepreneurship and business, the more confident you will feel. It’s also important not to shy away from risk and always set realistic goals. And taking care of my mental and physical health is non-negotiable,” Deanna said.

Dr Tamantha Stutchbury, Director of iAccelerate, said as a highly entrepreneurial society, Australia could no longer continue to have the solutions the world needs to be developed by only half of the population.

“We know that all-women start-ups receive only a tiny amount of venture capital funding, yet the data also shows us that having women founders or co-founders increases the likelihood of start-up success,” Dr Stutchbury said. 

“We have been working hard to ensure female entrepreneurs know that at iAccelerate, they have a supportive and inclusive environment to develop and grow their ideas.”

The organisers noticed one of the challenges most female entrepreneurs face – apart from external problems such as access to funding and market changes – is imposter syndrome. Identified as a phenomenon by two American psychologists in the 1970s, imposter syndrome is loosely defined as self-doubt over one’s abilities and feeling like a fraud.

Hayley Rodd, Senior Partner Manager at Easy Agile

Hayler Rodd is an UOW alumna, a Senior Partner Manager at Easy Agile and a co-founder of Sillagong Valley, the community initiative connecting entrepreneurs and professionals in the Illawarra.

Hayley Rodd is a Senior Partner Manager at Easy Agile, one of Wollongong’s burgeoning software companies, as well as a co-founder of Sillagong Valley, the community initiative connecting entrepreneurs and professionals in the Illawarra. She thinks imposter syndrome often happens because women can’t see other successful female entrepreneurs who have started businesses and made it successful.

“I think without role models, it’s difficult to imagine yourself as a founder or an entrepreneur. Also, it’s a lot of work that requires time and effort. For some women, particularly those with family commitments, it can get very difficult. We need to recognise and address the hurdles women face if we want to create bustling and buzzing entrepreneurial hubs.”

Professor Davidson encouraged the women to support and lift each other.

“When women come together, great things can happen. I look forward to seeing the future female founders coming out of these programs, the companies they create and the positive changes they bring to the world.”

To find out more about iAccelerate or to join the next program intake visit https://www.iaccelerate.com.au/

ABOUT THE PANELLISTS

Kylie Flament, CEO, Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT

Kylie is a social enterprise leader and sustainability expert with a background in managing large teams and projects in the corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors. Currently, she holds multiple positions, including CEO of the Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT and an Expert in Residence at iAccelerate.

Nandeeta Maharaj, CEO, Goods 4 Good

After a 20-year career in marketing, Nandeeta started her entrepreneurial journey when she founded the social enterprise Goods 4 Good, an online marketplace selling brands in the hope of making the world a better place. She attributes her success to her unwavering passion for the ethos of Goods 4 Good.

Deanna Maunsell, CEO, Provum Ventures and General Manager Operations, All Care Health Group

Since 2017, Deanna has created several highly successful businesses in the healthcare industry. Her first start-up, All Care Health Services Group, has now grown to a company of close to 250 staff, delivering innovative personalised in-home aged care technology services to the in-home aged care sector.

Leanne Isabella, Head of People and Culture, FinoComp

As the Head of People and Culture at FinoComp, Leanne has helped build an award-winning culture transforming the wealth management industry with cutting-edge microservices technology. Throughout her career, she has supported businesses as they scale to grow locally and overseas. Outside of FinoComp, Leanne mentors start-ups at UOW’s iAccelerate.

Hayley Rodd, Senior Partner Manager, Easy Agile

Hayley is a Senior Partner Manager at Easy Agile, one of Wollongong’s burgeoning software companies. Her commitment to entrepreneurism extends beyond her work at Easy Agile. Hayley is the co-founder of Sillagong Valley, the community initiative designed to connect and encourage entrepreneurs and professionals in the Illawarra to make Wollongong the ideal base to develop and grow companies.

ABOUT IACCELERATE’S COMMITMENT TO FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

iAccelerate has an ongoing commitment to supporting underrepresented groups within the entrepreneurial space. Currently, iAccelerate has an outstanding 52 per cent of companies in the program with an active female founder, which is well above the national and international average.

At the start of this year, UOW was awarded two $1million grants to deliver two key initiatives – first, to adapt and deliver iAccelerate’s existing education program to UOW students and second, to support women’s engagement in STEMM and entrepreneurship.

The University of Wollongong is firmly committed to addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Entrepreneurial Women’s Breakfast series demonstrates UOW’s commitment to SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

 

 

Media Contacts for this article

UOW Media Office

You may also be interested in

Brendan Lyon joins UOW as Professor of Practice
Leading financial experts to explore security of the banking sector at inaugural Gong Talks event
UOW expert commentary: Dr Paul Mazzola on RBA review
Services & Help
  • Current students
  • Library
  • Information technology
  • Accommodation
  • Security & safety
  • Pool, gym & retail
News, Media & Events
  • Media Centre
  • The Stand
  • Alumni Magazine
  • Research news
  • Events
  • Find an expert
Faculties
  • Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities
  • Business & Law
  • Engineering & Information Sciences
  • Science, Medicine & Health
Administration
  • Graduation
  • Environment
  • Policy directory
  • Learning and teaching
  • Financial Services
  • Access to information
  • Jobs
UOW Entities
  • Innovation Campus
  • UOW College Australia
  • UOW College Hong Kong
  • UOW in Dubai
  • UOW Global Enterprises
  • UOW Malaysia KDU
  • UOW Pulse
Connect with us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Conversation
  • Contact us
  • Feedback
  • Give to UOW

Northfields Ave Wollongong,  NSW 2522  Australia 
Phone: 1300 367 869 
International: +61 2 4221 3218 
Switchboard: +61 2 4221 3555

  • NUW Alliance: Smarter Solutions for NSW
  • University Global Partnership Network (UGPN)
  • Reconciliation Australia
  • AWEI LGBTQ inclusion awards logo

Aboriginal flag Torres Strait Islander flag

On the lands that we study, we walk, and we live, we acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians and cultural knowledge holders of these lands.

Copyright © 2023 University of Wollongong
CRICOS Provider No: 00102E | TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12062 | ABN: 61 060 567 686
Copyright & disclaimer | Privacy & cookie usage | Web Accessibility Statement

Close