Aussie entrepreneurs take to frozen south

A group of 115 Australian entrepreneurs are heading to Antarctica on Australia Day in the hope of sealing $1bn in business deals.

As millions of Aussies relax and fire up the barbie on Australia Day, a group of 115 entrepreneurs will be busy brainstorming in Antarctica.

The group is heading to the frozen continent for eight days in search of inspiration and ideas they hope will lead to about $1 billion worth of business deals.

The trip is the brainchild of self-made millionaire businessman Julio De Laffitte, who has set up a think tank called The Unstoppables to foster collaboration between entrepreneurs.

Mr De Laffitte says Australia's future depends on innovation, with the economy getting a boost from every start-up business that succeeds.

"We need to bring back permission to be entrepreneurs," he told AAP.

"Interest rates are so cheap now, so it's a good time to start a business.

"Opportunities are in abundance, but everyone is afraid of the future."

Choosing Antarctica as the venue for a business conference certainly makes a change for those used to listening to hours of speeches in hotel function rooms.

Mr De Laffitte hopes that by being away from their everyday worlds, the entrepreneurs will be free of distractions and focused on learning how to ensure their businesses succeed, making contacts, and doing deals.

"This isn't about rich people trying to pretend it's a holiday in Antarctica," he said.

"This is about the future of Australia."

Each of the entrepreneurs have been specifically chosen for the trip.

There's a mix of old and new - successful entrepreneurs keen to learn some new tricks and share their experience, and others who are just starting out.

Judy Reynolds, whose Opening Gates consultancy helps small business owners harness their potential, says she expects some incredible ideas to be commercialised as a result of the trip.

"We have this collective intelligence, energetic entrepreneurs with great ideas and people who know business," she said.

"Let's bring them together and leverage off it. We can't rely on government to do it all. We have to, as a business community, support each other."

Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin, whose company Blue Chilli has invested in 46 tech startups, wants to meet entrepreneurs with "big ideas and vision" in Antarctica.

"There's a strong force to create a legacy," he said. "I'm always on the lookout for great ideas so my objective is to seek these opportunities out and work on them."

The Antarctic adventure marks what Mr De Lafitte hopes will be the first of many gatherings of The Unstoppables in awe-inspiring locations, with planning already underway for the Amazon in 2016.

"Business is an adventure and we are serious about adventure," he said.


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