The first cohort of HR Tech, Australia’s first HR startup accelerator, has been announced, with female entrepreneurs in the majority amongst the founder teams accepted.
The following start-ups and scale-ups made the inaugural cohort of HR Tech, which is a partnership between Hudson, SEEK, The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and corporate accelerator Slingshot – Cohelix, Gemini 3, HI VIS, Opentute, Talent X-change, Adepto, Art of Mentoring, Flex Careers, iComplii, My Interview, PlanDo and Talent Vine.
The purpose of HR Tech is to connect corporates with Startups and Scaleups to drive technological innovation in HR space. The 12-week structured program is an opportunity for founders to develop and validate compelling business models and secure the traction, viability and investment needed to succeed.
Mark Steyn, CEO Asia Pacific, Hudson, said, “This inaugural cohort addresses many key issues impacting the HR space including employee engagement, the gig economy, talent development, diversity and disruptive technology such as artificial intelligence (AI). We are thrilled to participate in and use Hudson’s global resources and extensive business network to begin bringing these ideas to life.”
Ronnie Fink, SEEK Corporate Development Director said the job site’s involvement in the HR Tech accelerator offers a great opportunity to share the learnings of SEEK’s journey from start-up to global business, and also tap in to exciting new businesses in the broader HR ecosystem. He added, “We hope there are opportunities for these businesses to tap into SEEK’s insight and experience, and potentially create relationships beyond the life of the program”.
Startups in the cohort can receive up to $30,000 from the Slingshot Investment Fund for equity in the business as well as training and resources, support team of mentors and access to co-working space.
This is Slingshot’s largest cohort to date and the first to include Start-ups from outside of Australia. CEO Karen Lawson said this is a testament to the exciting innovation happening in the future of work space.
“This is one of our most inspiring cohorts yet,” she said. “The Start-ups and Scale-ups are focused on some of the industry’s biggest challenges. Facilitating the collaboration between them and forward-thinking organisations such as Hudson and SEEK will create the best opportunities for meaningful, impactful innovation.
“Recent reports have shown that women make up the majority of the HR industry but continue to be underrepresented in technology roles that are so closely tied with the Start-up community. HR Tech is a unique opportunity to foster the experience and ideas of female founders in this space.”
See also: Slingshot partnering with SEEK, Hudson and UTS on HR-tech start-up accelerator program
