Give Back. Build Innovators. Strengthen WA.
Join experienced practitioners who are giving back by helping Perth's early-stage innovators build real skills, develop their ideas, and strengthen our state's innovation ecosystem—using AI tools to amplify your impact and help them progress faster.
Innovation Shed is about experienced practitioners contributing their knowledge to build Perth's innovation ecosystem. This is hands-on mentoring that creates lasting impact.
Help build Western Australia's innovation capacity by developing skilled, confident innovators who can create jobs, drive growth, and solve real problems in our community.
Share the hard-won lessons from your own journey. Help innovators avoid common pitfalls and accelerate their progress by learning from your real-world experience.
Connect with other experienced practitioners who care about making a difference. Be part of a community committed to supporting the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.
They have great ideas and the drive to build something meaningful. What many need is practical, hands-on support to develop the skills that will help them succeed. Following With Impact In Mind's approach of "Big picture, small steps, positive impact," we need experienced practitioners who can teach by doing, helping innovators work on their actual businesses, not just theory.
As a mentor, you'll guide innovators in creating tangible deliverables across key startup domains. You'll teach them to leverage AI tools effectively while providing the expert judgment that turns drafts into professional results. Select a skill station to see what you'll help them create:
Help innovators create:
Lean Canvas models, Business Model Canvas, problem/solution validation tests, market research & analysis, customer personas & segmentation, competitive analysis & positioning
Teach innovators to use AI-powered design tools and no-code platforms to build prototypes quickly, while you provide guidance on UX, technical strategy, and product validation.
Help innovators create:
Product concepts & design, user flows & wireframes, prototypes (no-code/low-code), MVP feature lists & prioritisation, product roadmaps, technical requirements
Help innovators create:
Business model design & canvas, revenue models & pricing strategies, unit economics analysis, financial models & projections, bootstrap budgets & runway calculations
Show innovators how to use AI to generate marketing copy, create campaign materials, and design websites—then help them refine outputs to match their brand and audience.
Help innovators create:
Go-to-market strategies, marketing plans & content calendars, channel strategies (SEO, social, etc.), landing page copy & design, distribution & partnership plans, launch & growth experiments
Help innovators create:
Personal energy audits & management plans, time-blocking & productivity systems, stress management strategies, decision-making frameworks, leadership development plans, self-care routines & boundaries
Help innovators create:
Entity structure & setup plans, founder agreement outlines, IP protection checklists, terms of service & privacy frameworks, operational processes & tools, compliance & regulatory checklists
At Innovation Shed, mentorship is about creating measurable outcomes and seeing innovators make real progress. AI tools help reduce administrative work and track progress, so you can focus on high-value guidance.
Every session has clear objectives and deliverables. You'll help innovators complete specific tasks using AI tools to accelerate progress, while your expertise ensures quality and market relevance.
AI-powered tools help you and innovators track milestones, celebrate wins, and identify areas needing more support—making your impact visible.
Connect with other mentors, share best practices, and contribute to a collaborative culture of builders helping builders grow.
Innovation Shed values your time and expertise. That's why we focus on structured, outcome-driven sessions where you can see innovators make tangible progress building actual products, validating real markets, and achieving concrete milestones.
Select a benefit to learn more:
See your knowledge ripple through Perth's startup community. The innovators you help today become the successful entrepreneurs, employers, and future mentors of tomorrow. You're not just helping individuals—you're strengthening Western Australia's innovation capacity and contributing to a thriving local ecosystem that creates jobs, drives growth, and solves real problems in our community.
Connect with other experienced practitioners, successful entrepreneurs, and emerging innovators. Build meaningful relationships with people who share your passion for building. Innovation Shed creates a community of like-minded professionals who value giving back, teaching by doing, and strengthening Perth's startup culture. These connections often lead to collaborations, partnerships, and lasting professional relationships.
Working with innovators keeps you engaged with emerging trends, new technologies, and fresh perspectives. Teaching is learning—you'll sharpen your own thinking through mentoring, stay current with what's working in the market today, and gain exposure to new ideas and approaches. Innovators often bring fresh thinking and challenge assumptions, which keeps experienced practitioners on their toes and thinking critically about their own practices.
Many mentors find that being generous with knowledge naturally leads to consulting opportunities, partnerships, or clients. While this should never be the primary motivation, it's a genuine benefit of being visible in the ecosystem and demonstrating your expertise through hands-on teaching.
Note: You're welcome to mention your services and provide contact details to innovators who want to work with you beyond Innovation Shed. However, sessions should focus on providing value and teaching, not selling. The best business development happens naturally when you're genuinely helpful.
Innovation Shed is developing a mentor appreciation model that recognises your time and expertise with session honorariums. This isn't about commercial consulting rates—it's about fair recognition for your contribution while keeping the program accessible to innovators.
We're gathering feedback from founding mentors on what feels fair and sustainable as we finalise the compensation structure. As a founding mentor, your input will help shape what "fair recognition" looks like for the community we're building together.
Our Philosophy: Innovation Shed is about giving back while building a sustainable model. We value your expertise and time, and we're committed to finding the right balance between innovator accessibility and mentor appreciation. This isn't volunteerism—it's community investment with fair recognition.
We need mentors who've actually done the work and can teach from real experience, not just theory. You believe in strengthening Perth's ecosystem and enjoy working alongside founders on their actual challenges.
You've Done the Work
Built products, validated markets, scaled businesses. You can teach from real experience, not just theory.
You Enjoy Teaching by Doing
You'd rather help a founder build a financial model than just explain how one works. Hands-on is your style.
You Value the Ecosystem
You believe in strengthening Perth's startup community and see this complementing—not competing with—other programs.
You Meet People Where They Are
You understand founders are at different stages. You can help them take the next step, wherever they're starting from.
Select an expertise area to see what we're looking for:
Structured working sessions designed for real impact. You determine your level of involvement.
Each Session
90 minutes with 2-3 founders. You work with each founder individually (25-30 min of 1:1 time) while others work independently. Personal, hands-on mentorship.
Before Each Session
Founders share their objectives and context beforehand. You arrive prepared to help them make real progress on specific challenges.
Multiple Sessions Per Day
You can facilitate one or multiple sessions on any Innovation Shed day. Most mentors find 1-2 sessions per day sustainable and rewarding.
1-2 sessions/month
Drop in when your schedule allows to share your expertise
3-6 sessions/month
Attend most Innovation Shed days and build ongoing relationships
1-2hrs/month
Contribute via online community without attending physical sessions
Pick Your Days
Choose which Innovation Shed days fit your schedule. No expectation to attend every session or event.
Choose Session Count
Run one session or multiple in a day based on your energy and availability. Scale up or down as needed.
Change Anytime
Adjust your involvement level anytime. Life changes, schedules shift—we understand and adapt with you.
Get answers to common questions about mentoring at Innovation Shed
Join Perth's community of mentors helping to build the startup ecosystem. Register your interest and we'll be in touch about opportunities to contribute.
Share your expertise, see real outcomes, and contribute to a thriving ecosystem of capable, confident founders.
Innovation Shed is where mentors make measurable impact through hands-on guidance and outcome-focused sessions.