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Grants

LaunchVic offers grants for program providers and investor groups to establish in Victoria and help Victorian founders and their teams start, grow and scale startups. We also partner with other departments and agencies to offer direct grants to founders in priority sectors.

If you have a question regarding LaunchVic funding, send us an enquiry.

Sign up for LaunchVic’s newsletter to be notified about future opportunities, and view a full list of programs that startups can apply to on our programs page.

Open grants Previously funded grants Grant FAQs

Open Grants

For programs

Grants for Pre-accelerator Programs

LaunchVic has opened a new grants round offering up to $400,000 for programs that support early-stage founders building AI and DeepTech startups.

Timings for this grant round:

Round launched:	Wednesday 19th November 2025 at 10am (AEDT)
Information Session:	Tuesday 2nd December 2025 at 11am by webinar (AEDT)
Round Closes:	Wednesday 28th January 2026 at 5pm (AEDT)
Communications:	to unsuccessful and applicants moving to Stage 2 by 12th February 2026
Q&A Session:	Thursday 19th February 2026
Communications:	to unsuccessful and applicants moving to the next stage late Feb
Contracting:	Contract execution with recipients expected in April 2026
Announcement:	An announcement will follow once contracts are executed

Overview

The Victorian startup ecosystem has undergone significant growth in the past 8 years, with the number of startups increasing over three times from around 1,000 to over 4,300. However, globally leading startup ecosystems support many more startups, which in turn contribute to economic growth through job creation. It is therefore imperative that we continue to support the creation of new startups in Victoria.

Pre-accelerator programs have proven to be one of the most effective ways to stimulate startup creation. These programs provide aspiring founders with the early-stage support, mentorship, and networks needed to turn ideas into viable businesses, strengthening Victoria’s pipeline of innovative companies.

Building on the success of 30 previously supported pre-accelerator programs across a range of sectors, LaunchVic is now seeking to fund new pre-accelerators that support early-stage founders focused on building AI and DeepTech Startups.

Encouraging more early-stage founders to develop AI and DeepTech Startups will help strength Victoria’s position as a leader in emerging technologies.

LaunchVic welcomes pre-accelerators targeted on the Victorian Government’s priority sectors including health technologies, circular economy, agribusiness, digital technologies including AI and quantum, and advanced manufacturing and defence. Sector agnostic pre-accelerators may also apply, however they should demonstrate a strong AI or DeepTech component in their service delivery.

View the Program Guidelines

Register for the Information Session

Media Release

Read our FAQs

Apply Online

FOR STARTUPS

No grants currently available, please sign up to our newsletter for updates.

Other grants for Startups

Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources	Funding and incentives
Australian Government	Grants & Programs
Australian Government	R&D Tax Incentive
Business Victoria	Grants & Programs
City of Melbourne	Grants and Scholarships
CSIRO	CSIRO Kick-Start
Victorian State Government	Grants schemes

For Investors

No grants currently available, please sign up to our newsletter for updates.

Grants for startups

LaunchVic partners with other government departments and agencies to offer equity-free grants in priority industries. We also offer investment through our targeted funds.

Types of grants for startups:

Startup business grants: Startup business grants help entrepreneurs access business mentoring services, fund trials of their product, or hire talent.

LaunchVic offers up to $50,000 equity-free funding through our CivVic Labs program for aspiring founders. Sign up to our newsletter to be notified when new intakes go live.

Blended capital: Blended capital is an investment with an equity and grant component.

LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund and Hugh Victor McKay Fund take 85% of their investment as equity, and the remainder goes to the founder as a non-dilutive government startup grant.
This allows founders to retain more ownership of their company and be less diluted in future raises.

Grants for Program Providers

LaunchVic offers grants to program providers to bring the world’s best startup support programs to Victoria.

Types of Grants for Program Providers:

Grants for pre-accelerator programs: programs targeted at startup entrepreneurs who have a technology-based idea for a startup and want to establish a business and develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The program runs for a designated period, and participants ‘graduate’ from the program having followed a set methodology to establish a startup. A Pre-Accelerator program can provide a pathway to an Accelerator program.
Grants for accelerator programs: programs targeted at established Startups who want to scale their business. They are typically fixed-term, cohort-based programs, but may also be delivered in the style of an incubator that accepts startups on an ad-hoc basis. Accelerators (and incubators) are competitive – entry is by way of an application process – and successful startups can expect to receive mentorship and/or education, and introductions to customers and early-stage investors including through a public pitch event or demo day.

Grants for Investors

LaunchVic offers seed funding for investor groups to establish in Victoria and invest in local startups.

Types of grants for investors:

Grants for angel networks: An Angel Network is a formalized group of Angel Investors that collectively evaluate and invest in entrepreneurial ventures. Grants for angel networks fund the operational costs of establishing new networks and unlock more investment for startup founders.
VC Support grants: Grants to cover operational costs for VC funds to establish in Victoria.
Investor Education: Grants for organizations to provide high-quality investor education to build the confidence and capability needed to invest in startups.

Unsolicited Proposals

LaunchVic may in rare circumstances accept unsolicited proposals for grant funding outside of its published grant rounds or re-funding of high-performing programs. Please see here for programs previously funded.

While we don’t fund startups directly through these proposals, the programs we support are designed to help early-stage and scaling startups succeed.

We endeavour to review unsolicited proposals quarterly; however, LaunchVic is under no obligation to do so or provide feedback.

Proposal Assessment Criteria

All unsolicited proposals must demonstrate strong alignment with the following principles:

Alignment with strategy – The proposal clearly aligns with LaunchVic’s strategy 2024-2028.
Uniqueness – The applicant is uniquely positioned to deliver the program. i.e. there is no other organisation that could do what you are proposing.
Expertise – The applicant demonstrates the professional expertise and capability to deliver a successful outcome with minimal risk.
Impact – The proposal responds to a genuine need and will deliver tangible benefits to the Victorian startup ecosystem.
Need for funding – There is a credible and compelling case for LaunchVic investment.
Value for money – The proposal represents a sound return on investment for the Victorian startup ecosystem.
Sustainability – The program includes a clear pathway to sustainability—either by becoming self-sufficient or by strengthening ecosystem resilience.

Proposals that do not meet all of these criteria will not be reviewed.

If your proposal is deemed appropriate for funding, it will be subject to further assessment and due diligence in line with LaunchVic’s established grant processes.

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