Premier local accelerator and investment program Startmate has backed a majority of startups founded by women for the first time in its history for the latest cohort. Seven of 12 Australian and New Zealand startups are helmed by a woman. Each one receives a $120,000 investment at a $1.5 million post-money valuation if its the… Read more »
Four years ago, Zoe Condliffe was living in a van when she launched her startup She’s A Crowd as a solo founder. Now, Zoe runs a team of 12 ‘data activists’ who are making a powerful impact on the lives of women and gender-diverse people across Australia. Almost 90 per cent of women who experience sexual… Read more »
AI-based stormwater and sewerage pipeline maintenance software VAPAR has raised AUD$2,500,000 in seed funding for its global expansion plans. The raise was backed by LSE-listed Halma Ventures and Australian Sprint Ventures, Access Capital Ventures and Barry Winata’s Metagrove Ventures. Female engineers, Amanda Siqueira, CEO, and Michelle Aguilar, CTO, co-founded VAPAR in 2018 after witnessing first-hand… Read more »
Three female-founded venture capital firms have teamed up to form WinVC, an initiative focused on fostering the success of women in the VC industry. The triad involves the founders of Woolworths’ venture capital fund W23, OneVentures and Jelix Ventures. Amid an ongoing debate around female participation in the investment community, women-led VC firms now make… Read more »
Applications for EnergyLab’s Women in Climate and Energy Fellowship (WICEF) close this Sunday, May 29. EnergyLab is Australia and New Zealand’s largest climate tech startup accelerator and innovation network dedicated to reaching net zero emissions. The organisation recently signed on Ampol as a partner, with the fuel company providing funding and expertise to support EnergyLab’s… Read more »
Startup founders often talk about emerging from stealth mode, but it’s rare to see it used on someone within the ecosytem. But that’s what happened last week at the Impact Summit at _SOUTHSTART in Adelaide, when a group of supporters of local legend Moira Were announced they’d being raising funds to continue her work supporting the… Read more »
In an effort to support and boost further female entrepreneurship in Australia, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) Bruce Billson is calling for women to share their experiences. Women who currently own and lead businesses and startups across Australia are being asked to identify the challenges and opportunities facing them as female founders.… Read more »
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s (WGEA) latest national gender pay gap figures saw the pay gap increase for women over the last six months to 14.2%. This means Equal Pay Day 2021 is today, August 31, marking the 61 extra days from the end of last financial year that women, on average, must work to… Read more »
The She Loves Tech competition has chosen its 10 finalists for the 2021 competition. To qualify, the startups must be early stage, tech-oriented and seeking seed, angel or series A funding (under US$5m) with at least an MVP, and at least have a female founder; majority female users or consumers; or have technology with a… Read more »
AirTree founding partner Craig Blair says the Sydney VC firm is investing in the fund’s next generation with the promotion principals Elicia McDonald and Jackie Vullinghs to partners. The duo will continue to lead early-stage investments, with the VC having a record six months, tipping $103 million into local startup in the first half of 2021.… Read more »
Women who are founders, co-founders or CEOs all face similar challenges unique to their gender. In order to maintain the advancement of women entrepreneurs and business owners, these issues must be addressed. Given that the odds are stacked against women when they enter the startup scene, it is critical to explore how many unspoken gendered… Read more »
The Dream Collective has joined forces AWS to help women overcome the barriers to entry when transitioning to a career in tech with a new free online course, SheDares. SheDares aims to inspire professional women looking for a career change to consider technology. Recent research from AWS conducted by Alpha Beta found Australia will need… Read more »
Former Jobs for NSW boss Nicole Cook is taking on a key role in inspiring the next generation of female founders, signing on as the first CEO of SBE Australia, an accelerator for women-led businesses. The not-for-profit, which helps female entrepreneurs scale technology and life science-based businesses globally, counts Canva co-founder Mel Perkins among its… Read more »
Female founders education program Tech Ready Women is running an eight-week startup program ‘idea to MVP’ (minimum viable product) for 100 women in entrepreneurship. The startup program is built on four key pillars; community, mentoring, skills/education, and investment. It has been specifically designed for non-tech female founders who want to step confidently into the tech… Read more »
Melbourne angel investment network Scale Investors has chose two co-CEOs, Chelsea Newell and Samar Mcheileh, to replace departed boss Ariane Barker. Scale invests in female-led startups and was founded in 2013 by a group of leading Melbourne businesswomen. With the backing of high net worth individuals, the organisation has backed 30 companies in that time… Read more »
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