Construction tech startup HammerTech, restaurant ordering platform Mr Yum and car subscription website Carbar are among nine startups singled out by the Victorian government’s startup agency LaunchVic as potential unicorn companies under a new program to help them get there. A “unicorn” is a reference to a startup hitting a $1 billion valuation. The state… Read more »
LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund is now a quarter of the way through its ambitious plan to back 60 female-led startups by 2024, just one year after it launched. Since launching in July 2021, the sidecar fund’s co-investments of between $50,000 and $300,000, for a combined $2.5 million, have gone to 11 early-stage startups, leveraging a… Read more »
Victoria’s youth health and wellbeing has been a state priority for decades – but with roughly a quarter of the state’s children overweight (Australian Bureau of Statistics), there’s more that can be done. While schools, parents and government bodies have all been focused on education programs and supporting healthy lifestyle choices, we believe Victoria’s brightest… Read more »
Victorian startup agency LaunchVic is offering grants of up to $2 million to support accelerator programs for local founders. Applications for the grant program are now open for experienced accelerator program providers to deliver either generalist or sector-specific programs over the next three years. LaunchVic CEO Dr Kate Cornick said the need for tailored support,… Read more »
Victoria’s startup agency LaunchVic, is partnering with the state’s health authority VicHealth to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to tackle of the key health issues of young people with a new accelerator program. The VicHealth X LaunchVic CivVic Challenge is looking for aspiring founders and early stage startups keen to find solutions that… Read more »
LaunchVic CEO Dr Kate Cornick has won the Global Policy Champion award at the annual Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The GEC is a gathering of startup champions from around the world who are collaborating to develop a global entrepreneurship ecosystem. The congress is heading to Australia for the first time in… Read more »
Victorian startup agency LaunchVic has developed an ambitious program to help 30 local startup companies hit $1 billion valuations in the next eight years. The 30X30 program is a fully subsidised bespoke leadership program, designed by LaunchVic, and tailored to support scaleup founders and their executive teams taking their startups to the next level. The state… Read more »
A new Fund-of-Funds venture capital firm, formed by veterans of the super fund Hostplus VC team, has been chosen by the Victorian government to build LaunchVic’s $120 million Victorian Startup Capital Fund (VSCF). Neil Stanford and Brighid Pappin have created V-Ignite to turn $60 million from the state government into $120 million for the VSCF.… Read more »
Nearly 500 innovative farmers and aspiring startup founders are set to break into the AgTech sector, with three new entrepreneurship programs funded by LaunchVic and Agriculture Victoria. Farmers2Founders, Rocket Seeder and SproutX will each receive $600,000 to run pre-accelerator programs, which equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills to turn an idea into a business. Farmers2Founders,… Read more »
LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund has backed the first five startups in the $10 million co-investment fund, tackling ideas that range from recycled clothing to children’s toys and fitness. The Victorian Fund’s inaugural round has seen it make $727,167 in direct investments – along with more than $2.3 million in co-contributions from private investors – to… Read more »
Victorian startup agency LaunchVic will back 75 potential startup investors to take part in a investor education programs to build angel investor capabilities. The VC Catalyst course at the Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship at the University of Melbourne focuses on giving venture investors with the knowledge, skills, confidence and networks to invest in early-stage startups. … Read more »
LaunchVic is seeking a fund manager to run the Victorian Startup Capital Fund (VSCF), a Fund of Funds announced in the Victorian budget. The $120 million VSCF is support Victorian early-stage technology-based startups with potential to grow into high-performing businesses. The fund manager will be charged with raising at least $60 million from the private… Read more »
A new report into Victoria’s startup sector reveals that any politician wanting to promise voters jobs should be looking to back startups. The Startup Employment in Victoria report bydealroom.co, in collaboration with LaunchVic, found a 10.75% increase in startup jobs year-on-year between 2018 and 2020. Around 5,900 direct new local jobs were created by local… Read more »
Tech incubator Stone & Chalk will run a program to help Victorians break into the tech and startup sectors thanks to funding from the government’s startup vehicle, LaunchVic. Pivott Victoria is an 18-month program designed for people seeking with the skills, mindset and tools needed for a career in the startup sector. It will also… Read more »
Women-led early stage startups will have access to dedicated investment support from the $10 million Alice Anderson Fund – named after a pioneering Victorian businesswoman and innovator – to open for applications in July. The Alice Anderson Fund will run over three years as a sidecar investment fund committing between $50,000 and $300,000 into between 40 and… Read more »
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