The Andrews Labor Government today announced the recipients of $1.37 million in funding to strengthen entrepreneurship and startup activity amongst Aboriginal Victorians.
Supported by Victoria’s startup agency LaunchVic, four organisations will deliver education, acceleration, incubation and mentoring programs that focus on startup thinking, global engagement and the use of disruptive technology for Aboriginal entrepreneurs.
The four organisations that will share in the funding are:
- Barayamal – Australia’s first Indigenous focussed startup accelerator which will deliver Victoria’s Indigenous Business Accelerator Program.
- Global Sisters – will deliver workshops on startup thinking and incubation for regional Victorian Aboriginal women.
- Ngarrimili – will run a series of workshops in rural Victoria and an incubator program.
- Ngamai Moorroop Wilin – RMIT organisation that will run regular Ngamai meetups to build a community of Aboriginal entrepreneurs.
According to 2011 Census data the rate of entrepreneurship for non-Aboriginal Australians is approximately three times more than that of Aboriginal Australians.
However, soon to be released data from LaunchVic’s annual mapping of the Victorian startup sector found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians make up two per cent of Victoria's startup founders while representing only one per cent of Victoria's population, reinforcing the potential for programs of this nature.
This funding is part of the Tharamba Bugheen Victorian Aboriginal Business Strategy , which sets out the Labor Government’s vision for helping Aboriginal Victorians become innovative entrepreneurs and business leaders.
For more information about funded organisations and previous startup funding rounds visit launchvic.org.
Quote attributable to Minister for Innovation and the Digital Economy Philip Dalidakis
“Victoria is growing as a startup and entrepreneurial hub of Asia Pacific and we want to make sure all Victorians, no matter what their background or heritage, have the chance to be a part of that growth.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Natalie Hutchins
“We’re boosting the economic prosperity of Aboriginal Victorians by supporting entrepreneurship and business leadership and mandating a government procurement target for Aboriginal Victorian enterprises.”
Quote attributable to LaunchVic CEO Dr Kate Cornick
“We’re thrilled to be supporting the selected organisations and anticipate the programs will support Aboriginal entrepreneurs in Victoria to continue to go from strength to strength.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020