Accelerator

In Córdoba, Argentina, about a year ago, two lifelong friends put their heads together to create a tech product for tech people—something to change the way teams build software all over the world. By some accident of fate (with a little romance thrown in), they’ve ended up building the foundations of their product in Australia. It’s here that they’re iterating, testing, and building. It’s here that they’re networking and onboarding their first clients. And it’s here that they’re learning some of their biggest lessons as first-time founders.

Totex is on a mission to prevent 2 trillion tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. How do they plan to achieve that feat? With their revolutionary ‘all-in-one’ heating, cooling, and hot water system (with built-in thermal energy storage larger than two Tesla batteries) that cuts energy use, saves money, and fast-tracks the global shift to renewable electricity grids.

Health tech entrepreneur, Dana Allison has led a big, beautiful life.‍“I have had this amazing life, I won't lie,” she laughs. “And it's mostly because I'm the kind of person who says yes to opportunity, even if I have no idea how it's going to work out.”

‍One of the most beautiful things about being human is our ability to experience many firsts as we age. Some of these, such as first wins, first failures, or first loves, leave an unforgettable imprint on our souls. A similar profound first, for those who want to experience it, is becoming a mother. The experience of bringing a new life into the world is uniquely transformative - you’re raw, yet calm. Vulnerable and fragile, yet strong. It is the most difficult thing you’ve ever done, yet it is purported that it’ll all come to you almost effortlessly. ‍

Imagine for a moment standing at the entrance of a gigantic maze. You’ve navigated a few different mazes in your time and so are excited at the thought of this new challenge. At the end of the maze lies an incredible treasure, yours for the claiming, except for one small problem: you’re not at the entrance alone. You’re surrounded by people with a plethora of different experiences and abilities. Some have navigated this exact maze before and recall what twists and turns lie ahead. Others have been given helpful clues about what to look out for. A few are in the exact same position as you and they know this – so their plan is to copy what you do but faster and better. 

‍Paris, fashion, and never ending viral social media posts and campaigns. I’m describing the key elements of ‘Emily in Paris’, a global phenomenon that follows the exploits of Emily, a Chicagoan social media marketer and influencer living and working in Paris. We see her documenting her life in Paris on social media, always receiving love and compliments online. However what we don't see is the non-Hollywood romanticised side of social media: vile DMs, and harassment at scale waiting for her to review and escalate. 

When I meet Adam Beaupeurt, co-founder of Preve, on Zoom he is seated on his couch and propped up by pillows. He tells me that he injured his leg earlier that day and is waiting on a scan to confirm the extent of his injury. He is anticipating a gruelling few weeks of physiotherapy ahead. As someone undergoing a physiotherapy program myself, I empathise. It is genuinely hard because recovery takes time. Just how long, however, is difficult to anticipate.

‍Ron 'The Mussel King' Park has invented a new technology that's been 5 years in the making. With the ability to radically transform how we extract nutrients out of everything from fish to fungi, his new venture, NE Tech, is set to disrupt the entire global supplements industry.

Interested in one of Startmate's founder programs, but not sure where to start? We've broken it down for you here.

The Winter23 Demo Day cohort is here, and they are going to make our lives 100x better. They are running through brick walls to tackle the thorniest problems frustrating industries world-wide. From AI-powered recruitment and misdiagnosed prenatal ultrasounds to inflatable space solar panels and vaccine nebulisers, the Winter23 cohort is one of our most innovative yet.

“It’s very hard for me to imagine a world without doctors, for example,” he told a packed crowd at the Melbourne Convention Centre in June 2023.‍One startup using AI to reimagine the experience is Startmate Company Lyrebird Health, a medical scribing tool that allows doctors to practice medicine, not paperwork. ‍

In the spirit of honesty and transparency (two values we hold very highly at Startmate), we want to debunk the myths, clear up the grey areas and communicate unequivocally to our community what the Accelerator IS and ISN’T. We are covering it all. From the basics, to the nitty gritty. We want the Accelerator to be clear as day and if it still isn’t by the end of this article, we would love you to send your “questions and misconceptions” here: hello@startmate.com.au.

Every 6 months, we get 500+ applications for our Accelerator. There are three stages to the application process. The first stage involves submitting a short pitch video as well as written answers about your company, founder story and what problem you are trying to solve.

In this article, Steppen Founder Cara Davies reflects on both of her Startmate Accelerator applications.

We're updating our standard investment terms to $120k at a $1.5m post-money valuation for founders that haven't raised a prior round, and we'll match the latest valuation of founders who have raised. This will come into effect from Summer22 onward.

When you mix the right ingredients together, in the right order, with the right proportions in the right environment, magical things can happen.