Are you one of the region’s most ambitious founders? Are you ready to take your startup to the next level?

The Startmate Accelerator unleashes the ambition of Australia and New Zealand’s best founders and propels them toward their goals.

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Who is right for the Startmate Accelerator?

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Solo founder to founding team

From solo founders to teams of five, we have seen it all. Regardless of the make-up of the founding team, Startmate will bolster your company's growth by surrounding you with equally ambitious peers ready to share the founder journey with you.

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Technical to non-technical

Thanks to shifts such as the no-code revolution, it's easier than ever for non-technical founders to build technology companies. Whether you're a technical or product-led founder, we can help to plug the gaps and support you to find the skills and experience you're missing.

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Idea stage to pre-Series A

It doesn’t matter if you have $1 million in annual recurring revenue or haven’t even got a product... as long as you are wildly ambitious, pre-Series A and tech-enabled, we can help you.

We've had founders with little more than an idea go on to raise a seed round, teams that have raised a Series A round mid-program and follow up with a Series B round 12 months later, and we've even have more established businesses come and attach rocket boosters to their month-on-month growth.

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Software to everything else

Our 190+ alumni have all different offerings and span all different industries — think software, hardware, spacetech, sportstech, foodtech, agtech, autonomous drones, craft beer and beauty.

In 2019, we launched a dedicated Climate Cohort to support startups specifically addressing the climate crisis. In 2020, the CEFC Innovation Fund joined us to extend our reach to even more climate-tech founders.

What our Accelerator alumni have to say...


What is the 12-week Accelerator experience like?

The Accelerator program surrounds you with a network of ambitious peers and the best mentors, investors and operators across Australia and New Zealand.
They'll help you define where to focus your energy, set your goals and unblock you so you can move more quickly than you ever thought possible.

The program kicks off with an immersive week 0 designed to raise your ambition levels and help you set 12-week and 12-month goals.

From there, each week comprises a mix of sessions (from cohort check-ins to 1:1 mentor sessions to more structured training on key topics from the best startup operators in the region).

Of course, we want you to prioritise what will help move your business forward, so it’s up to you how much you immerse yourself in the program content.

The official part of the program ends with investor pitches and the Demo Day celebration.

We say official because while the Accelerator kickstarts your progress, the Startmate community will be with you for the rest of your life-long journey.

You'll forever be able to depend on your world-class squad of mentors, access Startmate's ever-growing and rich startup community, and get first access to the talent coming through Startmate's Fellowship programs so you can hire the best operators in the region to help you scale.

Who else is involved?

Unlike most other accelerators, the $120k we invest in your startup comes directly from our mentor community.

This means every mentor has skin in the game and is personally invested in seeing you succeed.

And while this investment and intensive startup education is key to our leading Accelerator experience, the program's most valuable ingredient, and what sets Startmate apart, is our community.

From your cohort, to your mentor squad (read: your own personal SWAT team) to the Accelerator alumni and more, being part of Startmate is being part of a lifelong community of the best founders, investors and operators in the region and beyond.

What else do I need to know?

The Accelerator currently runs twice per year: Summer (January-April) and Winter (July-October).

If you haven't raised capital...
If you’ve never raised, we will invest $120k at a $1.5m valuation
If you have raised capital...
If you have already raised a bona fide round, we will invest $120k at your latest valuation.

Read all about our investment terms here.

Get to know our Accelerator alumni

Apply for the Startmate Accelerator

Essential Reading
“What I love about Startmate is the power of the community, the success mindset and the unstructured learning which gives founders the space to grow.
Ryan Walker, Startmate, S21