At the beginning of 2024, three Year 10 students – Liana Boss, Jolie Veit, and Holly Zielinski – got caught online shopping during class. As an educator, I had a choice: give a consequence or ask a question. As educators, we are afforded some amazing moments of influence. We can lift up or tear down a student in one decision. Sometimes we are quick to give consequences because students aren’t following the rules and routines, but when we choose to ask questions instead of consequencing, sometimes there’s magic that can happen. If you hadn’t already guessed, in this moment, I chose to ask a question.
Our DeLorean Project program is about tapping into student interests and using that as a gateway to deeper learning. If these girls were drawn to online shopping instead of the set task, then maybe that’s where the real work should begin. So I asked: Why do you like shopping? How do you shop? What problems do you experience? Could you fix any of them? Those questions led to an idea.
The girls identified a real pain point in retail: customers feel frustrated by disconnected in-store experiences, and retailers struggle to understand consumers’ needs for a stress-free shopping experience. The girls wanted to fix that, thinking maybe they could make the shopping experience easier and more personalised for customers, and help retailers better connect with what their customers really want. When they were given space to explore this interest… RoomReadi was born. A retail technology platform that is truly “the best of both worlds”. Customers enjoy the convenience of online browsing, which leads to a personalised in-store shopping experience where they get what they want, when they want and get back the one thing that is precious to everyone… time! For retailers, it’s a triple win… reduce online return rates, boost in-store sales with opportunities to upsell, and capture valuable data on why customers want to try something on, whether to see if the item fits, or how the material feels. Shop online, reserve in-store with RoomReadi at a time and location of your choice, and receive an in-store premium shopping experience like no other. RoomReadi is re-defining the way customers shop and how retailers should view their ‘omnichannel’ sales opportunities.
In June 2024, the RoomReadi team won the Emerging Entrepreneurs Award at the Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards. In August, they had their first big exposure to industry opportunity, where they presented the RoomReadi concept at FWD Fest, Sunshine Coast’s leading innovation and entrepreneurship conference. It gave them access to mentors and helped validate their idea. That same month, they were invited to exhibit at Brisbane’s Something Tech conference, one of Queensland’s largest technology showcase events. They connected with investors like Steve Baxter (Shark Tank), founders like Simon Beard (Culture Kings), and potential customers from well beyond the classroom.
Through the rest of 2024, they met weekly with retail leaders, mentors, and developers. In early 2025, they were accepted into Sunshine Coast’s first regional incubator program, the LEAP FWD Incubator, run by ACS Labs (Australian Computer Society). ACS Labs is a national program designed to help early-stage tech startups grow. There were almost 50 companies that applied for 5 spots in the program and RoomReadi were not only successful, but are the youngest participants ever accepted. They’ve spent this year working alongside adult founders and mentors refining their product and pitch with support from some of the most influential voices in the industry.
Next week, in somewhat of a ‘full-circle moment’ they return to FWD Fest 2025 (7–9 May), to pitch their product to a room of 120 of Sunshine Coast’s leaders in innovation and business. Later this month, they’ve been invited to speak at Retail Fest 2025 (28–30 May) on the Gold Coast, one of Australia’s biggest retail industry events. Their session focuses on how retailers can better connect with their customers, especially the younger generations. They’ve also lined up meetings with retail decision makers and hope to have the first version of their technology platform live in stores by the end of this year.
Who knew that a few questions would lead to all of this! RoomReadi is a clear example of what happens when we stop underestimating young people. Given trust, freedom, and the right opportunities, they don’t just learn, they lead. At GCC, this is the kind of education we believe in: relevant, real, and capable of shaping the future now.
Rob Steffler Dean of Studies & DeLorean Project Founder