Turn your big idea into a reality with Curtin Ignition
Have you had a business idea that’s been brewing at the back of your mind for months or even years?
The City of Cockburn is offering scholarships to help local residents transform their concepts into viable businesses through Curtin Ignition — an intensive weeklong training program for new entrepreneurs.
In 2025, three Cockburn residents (Aaron Norrish from North Lake, Charlene Clarke from Aubin Grove, and Jennifer Wragg from Hammond Park) took part in the six-day boot camp thanks to the City’s support of Curtin Ignition.
From passion to action
Aaron Norrish had been collecting wheelchairs and assistive technology equipment in his spare time, giving them to people who had to wait months for NDIS equipment. He wanted to turn this passion project into a sustainable non-profit but didn’t know where to start.
“I got more done in a week than I would’ve done in probably 12 months on my own,” Aaron said of his Ignition experience. “The connections, the quality of the people, it advanced it so much further.”
Through Ignition, Aaron secured pro bono legal support from a major law firm, found board members, and gained access to warehouse space — all the foundational pieces he’d been waiting to put into place.
Breaking barriers
For Charlene Clarke, founder of HR consultancy Catalyst Central, Ignition came after three unsuccessful attempts to launch her Software-as-a-Service product for small businesses. Technical setbacks, legislative changes, and patent issues had derailed her previous pilots.
“I knew I needed help,” Charlene said. “I needed to make sure I didn’t go into this a fourth time and then discover another barrier that I just wasn’t aware of.”
Curtin Ignition provided exactly what she needed: practical advice from experts who helped her refine her approach, cut costs, and focus on customer testing before investing further.
“An idea that never has action against it is kind of just a dream,” Charlene said. “But an idea with actions that are ill-informed or don’t have the right structures and frameworks is just going to end up in heartache.”
Finding focus
Jennifer Wragg had struggled for two years to articulate her idea for a consultancy to help businesses navigate parental leave processes. The idea felt overwhelming and too broad to tackle.
“I had this idea for two years and couldn’t articulate it,” Jennifer said. “In five days at Ignition I managed to get that business idea down on paper and identify all those missing pieces that I didn’t think I was capable of doing on my own.”
The program forced Jennifer to refine her target market, narrowing her focus from all businesses to specifically small and medium-sized enterprises without dedicated HR teams. It was an insight that might well make all the difference to her success.
Intensive but rewarding
All three participants described Ignition as intense — with days starting at 8.30am and sometimes running until 10pm — but incredibly worthwhile.
The most important message from all three scholarship recipients? You don’t need a fully developed business plan to apply.
“It’s a fantastic starting place for those who are unsure and those who don’t know where to start,” Jennifer said.
The City of Cockburn provides scholarships to make Curtin Ignition accessible to local residents who might not otherwise be able to participate. If you’ve got an idea you’ve been sitting on, wondering if it’s viable or where to begin, the City of Cockburn’s Curtin Ignition scholarships could be your next step.
The City’s Micro Business Networking Group will host an information session on 22 April 2026. You can register here.