LaunchVic recently announced us as one of the recipients of its Round 3 grants, through which it will support our project to assist migrant and refugee entrepreneurs to grow their startup businesses.
Through the Round 3 grants, Launch Vic will contribute $1.4 million to fund the projects of the recipients. Once combined with the cash-in-kind contributions of the winners, this amount exceeds $2 million independently invested to accelerate the success of Victoria’s booming startup industry.
Like LaunchVic, we believe that diversity and inclusion are central to the development of the startup industry and are passionate about the immense value immigrant entrepreneurs bring to Victoria. This passion has been reflected in our vision and work since our inception and we couldn’t be happier about this opportunity to give back to the startup community and boost its growth.
A New Startup Playbook for Founders
Our project will include the creation of a freely available multilingual startup playbook that will target first-generation migrant entrepreneurs and give them the information and guidance that we know to be vital when attempting to launch and grow a startup business in Victoria.
CEO of LaunchVic, Kate Cornick, said, “We believe the startup playbook will be a helpful tool for new migrants and refugees who are looking at launching a startup. We hope that the playbook will help them to engage and navigate the startup ecosystem in Victoria.”
Lift-Off for International Entrepreneurs in Australia
Another key deliverable in this project will be the activation of our Meetup group, International Entrepreneurs in Australia. Created as a supportive community for international entrepreneurs and creative professionals, IEA welcomes locals and internationals to connect, network and help each to get off to a strong start, integrate successfully and grow rapidly in Australia.
With over 2,000 members already, we are confident that this group will become an even more important community for immigrant entrepreneurs and look forward to hosting more startup events over the next year to grow the expertise and networks of our members.
“The team at Hatch Quarter are incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about entrepreneurship. They are running a vibrant co-working space in Docklands and have growing networks in the Melbourne startup community,” said Cornick.
“We are thrilled to be recognised as sharing LaunchVic’s vision and for the opportunity to be part of their plan to make Victoria a world-class destination for startups.” said Hatch Quarter’s director, Aiman Hamdouna.
Stay tuned for more updates as our project takes off. If you know someone who is new to Australia and is an entrepreneur, we’d be delighted for you to tell them about our Meetup.
Contributed by: Jessica Locke, head of communication at Mo Works Creative Agency.