Australian startup and innovation group BlueChilli has today launched SheStarts – a national accelerator program and campaign to turbocharge female leadership in the startup economy.
SheStarts will offer ten women $100k each in pre-seed capital and a spot in the SheStarts accelerator.
The accelerator will be backed by corporate diversity partners including foundation partners ANZ, MYOB and Sunsuper, and higher education partner UTS.
A documentary web-series will capture the founders’ journeys, as part of a multi-media campaign to inspire women and girls across the country to consider a future in tech and entrepreneurship.
SheStarts director Nicola Hazell said the program aims to change the face of the startup economy.
“Women make up more than 50 per cent of our population. Yet in the startup ecosystem - where the most innovative, high potential businesses of the future are being created - women remain grossly underrepresented,” she said.
"Our startup ecosystem is undergoing major growth as both government and the corporate sector have recognised the potential to build an innovation-led economy. But we are missing a big part of this economic opportunity, and risk increasing gender inequality if we don’t act now.
“Women-led companies drive three times the returns of companies predominantly led by men. What’s more, female CEOs are leading the push for inclusive leadership, creating companies where all staff can thrive and drive innovation.
“But in Australia, reports indicate women represent between 14 per cent and 24 per cent of startup founders, and when you look at those attracting investment, the stats are as low as 4 per cent. While the data may be somewhat patchy, the message is consistent - women are missing out.
“In order to drive the economic results Australia wants and harness the value of diverse startup teams, we need to boost female leadership and back the ideas of women entrepreneurs with the funding and tech support to get them off the ground.”
A national talent search is now underway to find the best ideas from women across the country, to solve major global challenges and tap into disruptive market opportunities.
The ten women selected will each receive:
· $100k pre-seed capital
· Placement in the SheStarts accelerator program, which will run from January to June 2017 and culminate in an immersion experience in Silicon Valley hosted by Google
· A world-class team of startup advisors and mentors, guiding them through the startup journey
· Access to in-house product managers, developers and designers to help non-technical founders build high-quality tech products
· Space in the BlueChilli incubators in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne
· Access to leading corporate partners offering specialist insights and ready-made opportunities for customer testing and distribution at launch
· Introductions & presentations to investors and VC partners when raising growth capital
Prolific female-led start-ups in the domestic fashion space include Mon Purse and Stylerunner (pictured).