Mikaela Jade
Mikaela Jade | |
---|---|
![]() Speaking at the 2022 World Economic Forum | |
Born | Georges River, Sydney Australia |
Nationality | Australian |
Alma mater | University of Technology Sydney Charles Sturt University Australian National University |
Occupation | CEO |
Known for | Indigenous edu-tech |
Mikaela Jade FTSE is an Australian entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of Indigital, a business that aims to help embed Indigenous stories and history into the mainstream, by using augmented reality technology.[1][2] She has won multiple international awards, including the Veuve Clicquot New Generation award for digital technology 2018, as well as the Schwab Foundation's Social Innovators of the Year, 2022, and Indigenous Leader of the Year, 2021.[3]
Career and education
[edit]Jade is a Cabrogal woman, from the Georges River area, from the Dharug-speaking nation of Sydney.[4][5] She gained a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from the University of Technology Sydney, in 2002, and then a post-graduate Indigenous Land Management, Indigenous Studies qualification from Charles Sturt University. Jade conducted a Master's project at Australian National University, within the school of cybernetics, on the link between the spatial web and First Nations Australian cultures. She uses digital twins, which are real-time 3D or 4D scans of a historical or culture site, which sometimes is captured before the physical site is destroyed.[6][7]
Jade is the CEO and founder of Indigital, a business designed to use augmented reality to share the ancient cultural knowledge of indigenous histories.[8] She founded Indigital, the first edu-tech company founded by Indigenous person. She worked as a park ranger in Kakadu National Park, within the Northern Territory.
Jade commented on the scientific knowledge that indigenous people contribute, that:
"We are the original scientists and engineers and we have more than 80,000 years of cultural knowledge in our sciences to bring to the table," she said. "We have a lot to contribute to STEM and a lot of opportunities for First Nations people to create sustainable and enduring businesses in this sector."[9]
Jade is a World Economic Forum Global Futures Council member, as well as a delegate of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.[10] She has also worked in the visitor experience area within the ACT Parks and Conservation service at Stromlo. Jade also, in 2018, became a member of Microsoft Australia's Reconciliation Action Plan Advisory Board.[11] Jade also mentors 31 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from across various remote communities, to help them build their own technology platforms.[12]
Media
[edit]Jade was a speaker at an event marking the anniversary of 30 years of the ANU Bachelor of engineering degree.[13] In 2019, Jade spoke at the United Nations, in New York, on the impact and value of new technologies in indigenous communities.[14] Jade has been covered by the media, including The Sydney Morning Herald for her entrepreneurship, including winning awards for Indigenous technology.[15] Her work and career have also been reported on by SBS[16] and the Canberra Times.[17][18]
Her accomplishments in digital edu-tech have also been described in the Canberra Times, which reported how a Microsoft executive saw her give a talk, and then said if she was able to successfully apply her Augmented Reality (AR) content to their product within six weeks, Microsoft would then promote her product. She met the deadline.[19]
Recognition & awards
[edit]- 2015 – Finalist, Sustaining Women's Empowerment in Communities and Organisations.
- 2018 – Instyle Women of Style Awards – Creative Visionary.[20]
- 2018 – Veuve Clicquot New Generation Award[21]
- 2021 – Finalist "Most impactful Initiative" at Women in Tech Global Awards.[22]
- 2021 – Indigenous Leader of the Year, Women in Digital awards.[23]
- 2021 – YBF Ventures ATSI Start Up or Scale Up of the year.
- 2022 – Schwab Foundation Social Innovator Award.[24]
- 2023 – Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering[25]
References
[edit]- ^ "Mikaela Jade | Semi Permanent". semipermanent.com. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Mikaela Jade". www.alia.org.au. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Favela hip-hop empowerment, a neighbourhood nursing revolution and eradicating hidden hunger: Announcing the Social Innovators of the Year 2022". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Mikaela Jade - Pioneering for First Nations". Don't Stop Us Now. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Mikaela Jade is Making 80,000 Years of History Fut... | Edit". AllBright. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Dean, CECS; [email protected]. "News 05/2022". ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Blaylock, Sara (29 January 2021). "Being the Woman They Wanted Her to Be". Third Text. 35 (2): 227–247. doi:10.1080/09528822.2020.1867362. ISSN 0952-8822. S2CID 232144402.
- ^ "Mikaela Jade". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ School, Head of; [email protected] (23 November 2021). "Mikaela Jade named Indigenous Leader of the Year". School of Engineering. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Awardees". Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Doherty, Megan (7 March 2018). "Indigenous Canberra woman Mikaela Jade wins national award for rock art app". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Mikaela Jade Joins iAccelerate as Indigenous Entrepreneur in Residence". iAccelerate. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Dean, CECS; [email protected] (26 March 2021). "30 years of ANU engineering: what will the next 30 look like?". ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Awardees". Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Waters, Cara (6 March 2018). "'It's been a long journey': Indigenous entrepreneur takes out top award". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Students awarded for winning national challenge celebrating culture". NITV. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "How this Canberra entrepreneur made the most of lockdown". The Canberra Times. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Doherty, Megan (8 March 2018). "Canberra woman Mikaela Jade celebrates win for her entrepreneurship with Hollywood actress Freida Pinto". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Doherty, Megan (7 March 2018). "Indigenous Canberra woman Mikaela Jade wins national award for rock art app". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Keynote Speakers". Association for Information Science and Technology | ASIS&T. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Mikaela Jade, founder of 'Indigital' wins Veuve Clicquot New Generation Award". Women's Agenda. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Dean, CECS; [email protected] (23 November 2021). "Mikaela Jade named Indigenous Leader of the Year". ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ Dean, CECS; [email protected] (23 November 2021). "Mikaela Jade named Indigenous Leader of the Year". ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "How this Canberra entrepreneur made the most of lockdown". The Canberra Times. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- ^ "Mikaela Jade FTSE". Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Retrieved 11 October 2023.