Business

How to crack a unicorn: LaunchVic opens 30×30 applications

- September 23, 2024 2 MIN READ
Dr Kate Cornick
LaunchVic CEO Dr Kate Cornick
LaunchVic is once again looking for Victorian startups with the potential to reach unicorn status – worth more than $1 billion – as part of the 30X30 program in 2025.

30×30 has expanded into a fourth cohort to include another 10 startups in the executive leadership program, which helps develop and mentor scaleup founders and their C-suite people to build their businesses, with the hope that their valuations will exceed $1bn by 2030.

Mentors with experience at Uber, Atlassian, SafetyCulture and Linktree offer their insights and advice in the free four-month education program, which is focused on managing the challenges of fast growth. 

LaunchVic CEO Dr Kate Cornick said 30X30 was a prime opportunity to learn from the C-Suite talent behind the scenes of some Australia’s big tech success stories. 

“What makes the program particularly unique is its network of mentors who, throughout the program,  are brought in to provide deep subject matter expertise,” she said. 

“This mentor network has lived and breathed many of the problems participating scaleups are trying to  solve – so it can provide tangible solutions and shared experience.” 

The 28 scaleups involved in the previous three cohorts have collectively raised more than $165 million since graduating.  They include HammerTech, FourthRev, Compass Education, Edrolo and Acusensus, an ASX-listed scaleup using AI in road safety cameras, and now has deals with four state governments while also expanding internationally in the UK and US, generating d $50 million in revenue since being founded seven years ago. .  

Founder and managing director Alexander Jannink said hearing from startup leaders who had already faced similar problems around scaling their workforce, building a great culture and maintaining productivity during significant growth was invaluable.  

“These mentors absolutely know what they’re talking about,” he said.

“They say something and it sounds  easy, but it would have taken me weeks to get to the same conclusion.” 

Expressions of interest for the 30×30 program are open until 1pm, October 21.

More at launchvic.org/programs/30×30