Springboard, the accelerator for women-led startups, is officially open for applications. The event held at Ernst & Young this week to promote it was a success, and we have the photos to prove it.
SBE Australia by Springboard Enterprise is an accelerator program that aims to improve the investment-readiness of the participants. This is partly achieved through the intensive bootcamp in Sydney, and partly through the alumni community and networking opportunities in the program.
In Australia, the program has been running since 2013, and 36 companies have taken part in it. 81% of them (so 29 then) have raised capital, a total of $120 million, and one of the attendees has gone on to an IPO exit.
key dates for the program:
- Applications open: 28th September
- Applications close: 9 November
- Screening period: 9-21 November
- Live interviews: 28 November – 2 December
- Class of 2017 announced: 16 December
- Bootcamp (in Sydney): 20-23 February 2017
The program looks for organisations that have:
- A woman as founder or co-founder (in a key management role, with a significant equity stake).
- A profitable market opportunity with a defensible competitive advantage.
- A track record of milestone achievements, which may include: grants, beta clients, revenues, partners, amongst others.
- A credible core management team or the ability to attract one.
- A desire for institutional investment in the next 12-18 months
The event on Wednesday 28th September at Ernst & Young showcased some of the WA veterans of the program.
Sheryl Frame, a board member of the program and chair of the SBA Australia Executive Committee, and a leading light of the Perth startup community, commented:
“SBE Australia has had some amazing successes over the past 4 years, and we look forward to having WA punch well above its weight again with a traditionally strong cohort of WA companies participating in the 2017 Accelerator program. We urge any female tech startup founders to apply now!”
To apply, head to https://sb.co/australia-2017/, or contact them on any of these methods:
Phone: Perth 0402-213-409, Offices in Sydney _ 0418-612-182 / 0435-580-023
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @SBEaustralia #SBEaus2017
Meanwhile, here are the photos from the event: