Small businesses aiming to catch their first break will soon be popping up in the heart of Yarraville.
The VU Hanger, an entrepreneurial space adjacent to Ballarat Street’s pop-up park, will hand over the keys to 10 new start-ups over 10 weeks as part of the 10/10 initiative.
The small businesses are in fields ranging from fashion and art framing to coffee and ceramics.
VU’s three “entrepreneurs in residence”, including Thomas Anbeek, will provide mentorship and know-how as the start-ups test their ideas in front of real customers.
Mr Anbeek said the program, running from October 1 to December 10, would take place in a space that has been used for community classrooms for a couple of months.
“This is kind of a fresh experiment,” he said. “No one has tried this type of access to prime retail space for a week with this type of support and guidance.
“They are student-led start-ups or start-ups from the community.
“We will be providing support all along the way.”
Mr Anbeek said most of the businesses were in their early stages and this was an opportunity for some to get in front of customers for the first time.
The initiative has attracted so much interest planning is already under way to repeat it in the new year.
“We hope this will provide a kick-start to their business – hopefully they will gain a lot of learning,” Mr Anbeek said.
“We are hoping these businesses will thrive. We will sit down with them after and assess how everything went.”
10/10 begins on Sunday, October 1, at 9 Ballarat Street, Yarraville.
Details: vuhanger.com/ten
