G’day Tech Ranch! My name is Jeremy Enright and I am from Adelaide, Australia. I am currently on an exchange program to the University of Texas as part of my Business Management (advanced leadership) degree. While on exchange I have had the incredible opportunity to be an intern at Tech Ranch® since September. Moving to Austin to study at UT and work here at Tech Ranch® has been an incredible experience and one I will not forget. Being a part of the Tech Ranch® community I have learned a lot about business here in the United States and also about entrepreneurship, particularly in Austin. Austin is a fast paced city with a lot of up and coming business and startups. It has been a great learning experience to immerse myself in this innovation-focused culture.
Throughout my time at Tech Ranch® I have been able to see a number of entrepreneurs at different stages of their startups and entrepreneurs that have come from all different industries working together to create some amazing businesses.
Here at Tech Ranch® my focus has been on building a bridge between Tech Ranch® and the New Ventures Institute at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. The New Venture Institute runs a 
number of programs to assist with startups and helps to grow entrepreneurs and is similar to Tech Ranch® in a number of ways. Building a bridge between Tech Ranch® and NVI will provide a number of positive opportunities. For example this bridge will provide a landing pad for Australian entrepreneurs to gain entry into the U.S. market. It will also work the other way to provide opportunities for entrepreneurs in Austin to work with entrepreneurs in Australia and gain entry into Australian markets.
Tech Ranch® and NVI both place a key focus on a very similar development program for early stage entrepreneurs. These two programs are the Venture Dorm at NVI and the Venture Forth program at Tech Ranch® and could be aligned with the construction of the bridge to magnify the impact both Tech Ranch® and NVI has on this early stage of entrepreneurship.
Along with this project I have also had the opportunity to attend some of the events the Tech Ranch® Austin provides for its entrepreneurs. Tech Ranch® runs a fortnightly event called Campfire where entrepreneurs at all different stages and from all over Austin come together to discuss their business plans and what they are working on. This event has a key focus on building community and has an emphasis on entrepreneurs helping one another further their businesses. I also attended an event targeted at international entrepreneurs where a local immigration lawyer spoke about the different types of visas available for entrepreneurs to come into the US and work. This was incredibly insightful as this a relevant discussion for myself coming from Australia.
Working at Tech Ranch® and going to class is not all I have been doing while on exchange. While I am in Austin I have been trying to see and do as much as I can to gain an authentic college experience. I have been attending many of the University of Texas athletics events such as football, basketball and volleyball. I have made trips to Dallas and Houston and will be travelling around the country when the semester finishes at UT. I really enjoy Austin as a city as there is always something to see or a new place to eat.
I am enjoying my time here a lot and I am excited to see the lasting connection that will be formed between Tech Ranch® and the New Venture Institute after my time at Tech Ranch® comes to end.