Round 6
Supporting Local Council Startup Communities
Opened: Friday 8 December 2017
Closes: 10am AEDT Thursday 22 March 2018
Contact: Questions? Get in touch with us at grants@launchvic.org
LaunchVic’s sixth funding round aims to help local councils improve access and participation in the startup ecosystem in Victoria.
LaunchVic is looking to invest in Victorian Local Councils, especially in regional and outer metro areas, to deliver programs and activities that address stages 1 and 2 of the startup framework outlined on page 14 of the Startup Guide and Toolkit for Local Government.
Funding Recipients
| Lead Council | Funding | Project | Project Description |
| City of Ballarat | $100,000 | STARTUP BALLARAT! | City of Ballarat to run STARTUP BALLARAT! a program of meetups, hackathons, masterclasses and coworking trials. The program will address gaps for early-stage startups in the local community and aims to create a stronger startup brand for Ballarat to attract more founders, talent and investment. |
| Benalla Rural City Council | $400,000 Innovate NE Vic | Innovate NE Vic Startups | Benalla Rural City Council with Rural City of Wangaratta, Mansfield Shire Council and Indigo Shire Council as a consortium, will run Innovate NE Vic Startups, a program of events to build startup capacity in North East Victoria. The program includes four Hyper-local Ideas Fests, one in each municipality, to solve the region’s problems and create momentum for the bootcamps, mentoring, and meetups. The program will culminate in an annual Pitchfest and an annual North East Innovation Conference. |
| Brimbank City Council | $100,000 | Sunshine Business Hub | Brimbank City Council will run the Sunshine Business Hub, a program that will support the establishment of a coworking space within the Brimbank Community and Civic Centre, and a program of meetups, pitch events, masterclasses and mentoring support for local entrepreneurs and startups. |
| City of Casey | $198,250 | The INNovation Crowd | City of Casey in partnership with Cardinia Shire Council will run The INNovation Crowd, a program that will deliver events including meetups, hackathons, masterclasses, workshops, a bootcamp and a major Business Expo and Pitchfest. The program will also offer mentoring via an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Casey Cardinia Business Hub and online mentoring sessions. Five local founders will also have an opportunity to be selected for kick-starter funding. |
| City of Greater Dandenong | $100,000 | Greater Dandenong Startup Hub | City of Greater Dandenong will activate the Greater Dandenong Startup Hub through workshops, hackathons, coworking memberships, mentoring and masterclasses to accelerate local entrepreneurship skill sets. The program will provide opportunities for the next generation of local entrepreneurs in this culturally diverse business minded municipality. |
| Hume City Council | $86,500 | Creating a startup ecosystem in Hume | Hume City Council will run Creating a startup ecosystem in Hume to support new startups through meetups, mentoring and hackathons. Transport & Logistics and Warehousing & Manufacturing are two of the largest industries in the municipality with local startups strongly encouraged to help drive startup entrepreneurship for these industries. |
| Latrobe City Council | $400,000 | Startup Gippsland | Latrobe City Council with Bass Coast Shire Council, Wellington Shire Council and Baw Baw Shire Council as a consortium, will run Startup Gippsland, a cohesive array of programs aiming to grow the Gippsland startup ecosystem. The program includes meetups, masterclasses, a comprehensive mentoring program and major events to help Gippsland startups become accelerator-ready. |
| Maribyrnong City Council | $100,000 | Network Inner West | Maribyrnong City Council will run Network Inner West; a series of events designed to meet the challenges of Maribyrnong’s culturally diverse communities, and young people. The project will link the City’s CALD communities to opportunities in Melbourne’s west creating an avenue to market for inner west startups. |
| Melton City Council | $88,960 | The Hot House Project | Melton City Council will run The Hot House Project, a three-phase program featuring workshops, networking events, mentoring, masterclasses, coworking space access and hackathons. The program will support local startup talent to take their ideas to the next level. |
| Mildura Rural City Council | $50,000 | ‘Magnify’ Mildura – creating jobs for the future | Mildura Rural City Council will run ‘Magnify’ Mildura – creating jobs for the future, a series of events including workshops, masterclasses and a hackathon to help the local startup ecosystem grow as a vibrant hub of regional startup activity. |
| Moreland City Council | $100,000 | Moreland Converger Program | Moreland City Council to run the Moreland Converger Program that consists of a series of mentorship, masterclasses, workshops and meetups to increase the connectivity and growth of the local startup community which is attracting a growing enclave of creative and tech startups and multi-disciplinary entrepreneurs. |
| Towong Shire Council | $100,000 | Think-Start-Grow | Towong Shire Council will run Think-Start-Grow, a program that will focus on building knowledge and awareness of startup entrepreneurship through a series of workshops, networking forums, events and mentoring support. Participants will gain an understanding of the entrepreneurship ecosystem, rural entrepreneurship models and links to local resources. |
| Warrnambool City Council | $284,420 | UNEARTHED | Warrnambool City Council in partnership with Moyne Shire Counciland Corangamite Shire Council, will run UNEARTHED, a regional program that includes: events, meetups, a bootcamp of focused workshops, masterclasses and mentoring. The program aims to create awareness, accelerate the local ecosystem and unearth startup and scaleup potential especially in the food and fibre area. |
| City of Whittlesea | $89,710 | Ignite…igniting north metro startups | City of Whittlesea will run Ignite…igniting north metro startups, a series of events ranging from short workshops to full day hackathons to engage local startups. The project will address the need to create more employment opportunities for a growing population. |
| Wyndham City Council | $270,000 | #StartWest | Wyndham City Council with Hobsons Bay City Council, Maribyrnong City Business, and Moonee Valley City as a consortium, will run #StartWest; a program designed to educate and encourage people in Melbourne’s west to participate in the startup ecosystem. The program includes mentoring, meetups, and capacity building masterclasses culminating with the #StartWest Festival, which will celebrate startups in Melbourne’s west and inspire potential founders. |