Equipped with the skills they need to smash the glass ceiling, a group of female social enterprise founders got the opportunity to pitch to an audience of potential investors at the Brisbane Powerhouse in December, thanks to a key Advance Queensland program.
The purpose-led businesses completed a 20-week Female Founders Forward Accelerator Program run by leading Australian social enterprise business development agency Impact Boom.
Impact Boom is one of 11 education and industry agencies funded through the Advance Queensland Accelerating Female Founders Program this year to supply key business development programs for Queensland female entrepreneurs.
The 11 agencies were funded to provide a host of practical business development and technical skills programs for female founders and leaders of innovation to drive enterprises across the state at different stages of their entrepreneurial lifecycle to help them nurture, develop, grow and expand their businesses.
The 11 agencies cover a diverse range of industrial sectors, from sports tech to tourism to agriculture to social enterprise.
Founded in 2017, Impact Boom is a certified social enterprise and B Corporation that facilitates capacity building programs, accelerators and impact-led programs to equip purpose-drove entrepreneurs.
Social enterprises are an innovative breed of businesses that trade like other businesses, but exist specifically to make the world a better place.
After a highly competitive application process, 13 female founders were accepted into Impact Boom’s Female Founders Forward Accelerator Program.
Their startups ranged from an ethical clothes manufacturer providing employment and support for human trafficking survivors to a company helping migrants and women in regional and remotes areas obtain work.
Impact Boom’s accelerator program included in-person group workshops led by industry professionals, personal and group mentoring sessions, 12 weekly digital modules, online collaboration, as well as exposure and networking events.
The event at the Brisbane Powerhouse was the culmination of the accelerator program with the founders getting the opportunity to pitch to an audience of potential investors.
The Accelerating Female Founders Program is part of the Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland Backing Female Founders initiative, designed to boost the number of female entrepreneurs in Queensland.
Visit our Backing Female Founders page to learn more about how we’re supporting Queensland’s female founders.
