About the program
The Backing Female Founders Program will build on the first phase of the Female Founders Program launched in May 2019, and provide a suite of initiatives to grow and scale Queensland innovation businesses founded by women.
The program assists female founders at different stages of the entrepreneurial lifecycle and will incorporate several initiatives to address barriers in the youth, startup, scaleup and global stages of the innovation pipeline.
The program is targeted at female founders in innovation who are:
- female entrepreneurs and innovators
- established female-founded businesses and companies
- academic and research individuals/institutions
- investors
- industry business associations
- part of the Queensland innovation ecosystem.
How can the Backing Female Founders Program support you?
The $3 million program will offer two key initiatives opening for applications soon are:
- $1 million Co-investment Grants Fund to support Queensland Female Founders to find a private partner for part funding, with Advance Queensland to match this funding.
- Accelerating Female Founders to provide funding for proponents to provide accelerator, business acumen and mentoring programs and activities to female founders as well as on going networks, connections and opportunities beyond duration of the program.
More information
Connect with Advance Queensland through our social media channels and stay up-to-date with the latest activities as initiatives are rolled out throughout the three year program.
The Female Founders program was launched in May 2019 and to date more than 1,550 female founders have benefited from the program.
Female Founders Advisory Board Program
Delivering skills and exposure to effectively engage with advisors and establish best practice governance and advisory foundations to support business growth. Delivered by the Advisory Board Centre, programs include:
- Board Pathways Program (open for applications): providing entrepreneurial and innovative thinkers with the practical steps to develop board level engagements. This fully funded e-learning program aims to support Queensland-based founders to explore their own personal pathway to the boardroom. The online program will be available for registration until 31 December 2022. Although this program is part of the Female Founders Program, it is open to all Queensland-based entrepreneurs, not just female founders.
- Female Founders Certified Chair Executive Program (applications are now closed and the program is underway): designed to support the development and participation of women entrepreneurs at a board level.
Resources
- Women on Boards video case studies – developed in partnership with Advisory Board Centre, participants share their first-hand experiences and provide insights on the mutual benefits of having a diverse mix of people on boards.
- Best Practice Roundtable for Supporting Women on Boards – a panel discussion that explores the major barriers that female founders face when scaling their business, and key learnings from the Female Founders Advisory Board Program and its success.
Visit the Advisory Board Centre website for more information on all of their initiatives.
Case studies
- Truii gives the environment a voice through data driven web applications
- Recycle coffee pods in your kerbside bin with rePodder
- ATech ensures mission critical websites thrive
- Freckle Digital brings business’ online presence to life
- EnviroChill improves food safety and prevents food waste
- Female founder helping put a new spin on an historic sport
- Meet the Queensland mum turned entrepreneur topping the charts with award-winning app
- Tech bringing Australian critters to life
- Healthy pet treats providing the ‘Golden Bone’ for one female founder
- Nourish’d
- She Maps
- Beary innovative idea becomes an icon of Outback Queensland
- Indigo Gold helps secure grants for overwhelmed businesses
