Curtin Accelerate supporting next generation of start-up founders

Curtin University alumni, students and staff can transform their clever product or service into a thriving business, while honing their entrepreneurial skills through the Curtin Accelerate program which is now accepting applications.

With an emphasis on helping start-up founders to grow their businesses, the expanded 12-week 2023 Curtin Accelerate program will be led by newly appointed Curtinnovation Programs Manager Dr Geremy Farr-Wharton, who is an expert in consumer behaviour, information design and ecological sustainability.

Participants will have access to Curtin’s Venture Studio, which was announced as part of the successful Resources and Critical Minerals Trailblazer and builds on Curtin’s commitment to becoming a world leader in the translation of research outcomes to exciting new products, services and industry processes.

Dr Farr-Wharton said since its inception in 2013, more than 60 businesses had participated in the free Accelerate program and had gone on to launch successful products, win awards and receive investment funding.

“The tenth instalment of Curtin Accelerate has a greater focus on matching early-stage start-ups with the people, infrastructure, training support and seed funds provided by Curtin to fast-track products to market,” Dr Farr-Wharton said.

“Through the Venture Studio model, we take a participant’s innovation, develop the right business model for it, and connect them with a network of founders, operators, investors and customers to help them achieve success.”

The 2023 Curtin Accelerate program has been extended from 10 to 12 weeks and is now ATO-recognised, which allows participating companies to offer investors a 20% tax offset.

As well as this, the program offers participants a $5000 equity-free grant, business start-up workshops, access to commercialisation experts, investors and potential partners, personalised mentoring from specialists in digital marketing, business growth, intellectual property and finance, and free registration to the West Tech Fest 2022 conference.

Curtin Accelerate will run in Curtin’s new entrepreneurship hub, which forms part of the University’s Exchange precinct, an industry-connected innovation hub.

Applications for Curtin Accelerate are now open and close on October 28. The program runs from February to April 2023.

Dr Farr-Wharton and Accelerate alumni will outline the features and benefits of the program at online and in-person information seminars held on October 5 and October 14 2022 respectively.

For more information and to apply for Curtin Accelerate, visit here or to register your interest for either information seminar email accelerate@curtin.edu.au.