First Nations entrepreneurs can now apply for the Barayamal accelerator programme and access $50,000 in grant funding.
After running the world’s first Indigenous Accelerator in November 2016, Barayamal is now running its second accelerator program in Victoria on the 7th September 2020 – thanks to LaunchVic.
Barayamal believes that First Nations Entrepreneurship can change the world for the better. They support this by running an Indigenous business accelerator, free events, the Indigipreneur podcast, school-based education, building technology solutions and by investing time and funding Indigenous startups, which are the high-growth economic and employment solution.
Five innovative First Nations businesses will be selected for the Barayamal Accelerator at the Victorian Innovation Hub. The three-month program will support First Nations businesses to break through the COVID-19 challenges to grow their businesses by providing mentoring and training by industry experts, $50,000 in grant funding and showcasing their businesses at the national Demo Day & Awards event on the 27th November 2020.
The Barayamal Accelerator incorporates a competition model to select the winning Indigenous businesses. Indigenous entrepreneurs submit an application for the Barayamal Accelerator program, which is reviewed and shortlisted, with the most innovative Indigenous businesses in Australia then pitching for one of the five spots available. At the end of this pitch competition, only five Indigenous startups are invited to participate in the Barayamal Accelerator.
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Funded by LaunchVic and supported by our corporate partners, the Barayamal Accelerator will rapidly accelerate the growth of the Indigenous businesses by providing capital, mentoring and industry support over three months then showcase their success at the culminating Demo Day.
Barayamal’s Accelerator is completely free, thanks to LaunchVic.
Previous participants have highlighted the benefits of the culture and community within the programme.
Kayla Cartledge from Our Songlines, 2019 Barayamal Accelerator participant, said, “I really liked the accelerator program. We’ve got an amazingly strong community built on trust and cultural principles…the connections we made were everlasting.”
Stewart Stacey from Binary Security, 2019 Barayamal Accelerator participant, said, “Just in the half an hour after receiving the award, I had many people walk up to me saying that they thought we’d done a really good job and they could see the message and they can see the value and they want to help.
“I’ve got a pocketful of business cards that I can’t wait to get back home and start calling. And, and you know, making these contacts and building these relationships… just been unbelievable. It’s gone past what I thought it would be…and I’m very proud and honoured to be a part of it.”
Niyoka Bundle from Pawa Catering and Events, 2019 Barayamal Accelerator participant, said the programme allowed to to meet “really great” Indigenous entrepreneurs and the sharing of their experiences.
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