Power is not given to you. You have to take it.
Female Founder Resources
Starting a new business is hard enough. Throw in a healthy dose of ‘Structural,’ ‘Institutional’ and ‘Systemic’ barriers (SIS) for female founders, and it’s much more of a struggle. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Australia is on its way to recognising the inherent barriers that are in place for women in tech and we have put in the hard yards to gather what is for the taking for you.
“Power is not given to you, you have to take it” - yes, we did just quote Beyonce.
If you are reading this article, then odds are you’re not new to the discussion around barriers to women that are ‘Structural,’ ‘Institutional’ and ‘Systemic’ (what we’re calling “SIS”). In fact, it’s probably something you’re living or witnessing on a daily basis and needs no further explanation — if you’re not across it, then give it a Google search — the stats don’t lie.
Which is why we’ve decided to put together this handy dandy female founders resource pack that includes information on:
Grants
Networks and Community
Free LUNA resources
+ other free resources
GRANTS
As a female founder, figuring out which grants you are eligible for can be a minefield of eligibility criteria based on sector, geography and stage of growth. So we’ve outlined some of the female specific grants for you, along with a helpful timeline that will let you know when to start preparing for them.
While this grants table is specifically made for female founders, there are a ton of other grants available across the ecosystem which others might be eligible for. Check out the LUNA Grants page for a summary! And if you have any questions or want to work out which ones you could apply for, drop us a line.
1. The Alice Anderson Fund (LaunchVic): The Alice Anderson Fund supports up to 60 women-led startups over the next three years and will unlock up to $40 million in early-stage capital.
Eligibility:
It must be Woman-led.
It must be a Startup.
It must be Victorian-based.
It must NOT be involved in the following activities;
tobacco or tobacco-related products;
Cluster munitions and other controversial weapons;
Thermal coal;
Gambling;
Logging of old growth forests;
Uranium;
Unregulated animal testing;
Live cattle and/or sheep exports; or
Fracking.
More details can be found here.
What do you get: Grants are available on a ‘co-investing basis’. The fund will invest between $50,000 and $300,000 in woman-led startups, co-investing in funding rounds with private sector investors at a 1:3 ratio.
*LUNA partners with the Alice Fund — you can contact us if you are interested.
Application deadline: Register your interest here.
2. Grants for Women’s Pre-accelerator Programs: The grant is to support early-stage women startup entrepreneurs by helping them create an MVP based on their technology based startup ideas.
Register here for an information session on 23 March 2023 at 1pm AEDT.
Eligibility:
Be a female entrepreneur over the age of 18;
Have experience growing women-led startups and startup communities
Registered company/organization headquartered in, with an office in, or proposing a program to be delivered in Victoria
More details can be found here
What do you get: Grants of up to $300,000 (plus GST) over a minimum of two years are available.
Application deadline: 20 April 2023.
3. Accelerating Female Founders Program QLD: This program provides funding to QLD female founders with innovative businesses to help them develop and deliver new or existing business support initiatives!
Eligibility:
For organizations supporting female founders;
Have an ABN and be registered for GST
Be based in QLD
Have experience in developing/delivering business support initiatives with an innovation focus
More details can be found here
What do you get: Grants between $10,000 to $100,000 are available.
Application deadline: 3 April 2023.
NETWORKS & COMMUNITY
Women supporting women has got to be the next best thing since sliced bread. Networks are key, and knowing what communities you could join to leverage the best of the best is too! And while in no means is this an exhaustive list, we’ve penned down a few for you to take a look at.
1. One Roof: One Roof is a digital professional network for female leaders and entrepreneurs led by Founder Sheree Rubinstein. Since pivoting from a co-working operator to a digital membership less than two years ago, One Roof has become a stand out community for women in business and has grown to 1000 members. Their membership comes with endless benefits, which you can check out here.
Application process: You can apply for their monthly and yearly memberships anytime.
2. Women in Business NSW: Women in Business provides women living or working in New South Wales with access to a fully subsidised online program to help them establish a new small business or consolidate an existing small business.
Application process: You can apply anytime.
3. The Startmate Women Fellowship: The Startmate Women Fellowship is an 8-week program helping ambitious women launch amazing startup careers. You’ll get access to weekly events, 1:1 coaching and a powerful network to build your confidence, translate your skills and find your best fit in a startup. Startmate is also launching a Founders Fellowship - watch this space.
Application process: Twice a year in March and August. Keep an eye out for applications.
4. We Connect International: This organisation helps women-owned businesses succeed in global value chains, empowering women to have the same opportunity as men to design and implement business solutions that create wealth and ensure the sustainable prosperity of their communities
Application process: You can register anytime.
5. Women in Climate and Energy Fellowship: It helps ambitious women launch epic clean energy and climate-tech startups. Over a three month period, you'll gain the skills, know-how and network to take the first steps in entrepreneurship.
Application process: Expressions of interest are open.
6. EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ Asia-Pacific: This executive global leadership program identifies women entrepreneurs from Asia-Pacific whose businesses show real potential to scale — and then helps them do it.
Application process: Applications are now closed, but will open again later this year.
FREE LUNA RESOURCES
Did you know — LUNA is Greek for the personification of the moon as a goddess?
Our LUNA gift to all you wonderful women on this 2023 International Women’s Day — free sh*t. You’re welcome.
Why this? Because just like any other business, you need to think about its company structure from day one — whether you’re looking to build an empire or simply want to hit the ground running, setting up correctly on day one is essential.
Why this? Founders use SAFEs to secure smaller amounts of funding in the lead up to later priced equity rounds.
The Lowdown — LUNA’s Newsletter
Why this? Because frankly speaking, there’s just some epic content in there…it speaks for itself.
OTHER FREE RESOURCES
I am remarkable by Google: #IamRemarkable is a Google initiative empowering women and other underrepresented groups to celebrate their achievements in the workplace and beyond. Book free workshops here.
Hubspot Academy: From quick, practical courses to comprehensive certifications, learn everything you need to know about the most sought-after business skills. Sign up here.
Miro for Startups: Miro is a fast, free, and simple-to-use online whiteboard built to help you collaborate with others any time, anywhere. You can get $1,000 credit to use a premium subscription if you qualify as an early-stage startup. Check your eligibility here.
As you can tell, we don’t just care, we really care about this at LUNA.
If you are a female founder and have any questions about any of this or if you want to find out more about what is available to you in the startup ecosystem, reach out to us at hello@weareluna.co.
This article was written by our very own Natalie Fernandes, Silvina Hausheer and Nikita Lamba, and is peppered with contributions from our whole team.
