Indigenous accelerator Barayamal joins forces with Fishburners to launch Budding Entrepreneurs Program

Barayamal, the first Australian accelerator for Indigenous entrepreneurs, has launched a partnership with coworking community Fishburners.

It all started back in May when Barayamal held a “Give Back-a-thon” – a national charity hackathon which helped four Indigenous charities by providing them with tech-based solutions to increase their social impact.

The winning team received a three month membership at Fishburners, however in the spirit of the event and giving back to the community, the winning team paid it forward by donating their prize back to Barayamal so four Indigenous entrepreneurs would have the opportunity to work on their startup ideas and help their communities.

Those four spaces will be put to use in January 2018 when Barayamal officially launches its Budding Entrepreneurs Program. In addition to the desk space and facilities provided by Fishburners for three months, the program will also include entrepreneur development, and one on one mentoring from successful Indigenous and non-Indigenous entrepreneurs.

“This program creates new opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs to grow their businesses,” said Barayamal founder Dean Foley.

“We are passionate about supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs because we believe Indigenous entrepreneurship is the high growth and impact solution that will help close the disadvantage gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.”

According to recent government employment studies the unemployment rate of Indigenous Australians is sitting at 21 percent, which is a 4.3 percent increase since 2008. It is also four times the non-Indigenous unemployment rate in Australia, which sits at five percent. It is also worth noting that Indigenous businesses are one hundred times more likely to hire indigenous Australians which is why initiatives like the Budding Entrepreneurs Program are so important.

This sentiment echoed by  Fishburners CEO, Annie Parker, who said, “We are really proud to partner with Barayamal and welcome four new teams of Indigenous Entrepreneurs as members of Fishburners. Our values are centred on collaboration, brilliance, community and diversity, and all of our members contribute and give back to our community and I’m thrilled the winning hackathon team did just that, which now guarantees these four deserving Entrepreneurs will now join Fishburners.”

The four businesses chosen are:

Aartbi: is an entertainment booking website, connecting customers with performing artists, event services and more.

Bunji Bakana: Aboriginal designed apparel sporting clothing that is universal to all sporting clubs around the world.

Wakarla: creates artwork that preserves Indigenous languages and promotes conservation by using Australian made and ethical products.

Dreamtime Concepts: provides event management services, governance and compliance advice, business development assistance, strategic planning, and other business services to Indigenous businesses.

Learn more about the Budding Entrepreneurs Program here.

Featured image : Barayamal Founder, Dean Foley | Source : Provided.