Our goal is to find and fund the most ambitious early-stage founders in ANZ. This means we invest in pre-product founders. Generally, our early-stage founders usually meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Have a problem they want to solve & are ready to go full-time
• Started building an MVP or proof of concept
• Have built an MVP or proof of concept
• Have paying customers
• Are pre-Series A

Think you may be too early? You are probably not! Apply to our Accelerator and also apply to our pre-accelerator called Launch Club.

Startmate Accelerator selection is a 3 step process over the course of 3 weeks at the end of which we make an offer to join the cohort.

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Stage 1 - online application + 3mins video (~1h)

Each application is reviewed by at least 3 mentors independently. Mentors are all personally invested in the fund and are looking for the founders who stand out the most - connection to the problem, size of ambition, customer conversations etc.

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Stage 2 - round robin interviews (2.5h) - remote

At this stage you get to meet 10 mentors in 10mins back to back conversations. This is a high energy fast speed interview round that allows you to really hone the story of your company.

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Stage 3 - in depth interview (1h) - remote

Finally, you’ve got an hour in-depth interview with 3-4 of our mentors including a Startmate team member. Here we’re going deep into your product, vision and any open questions from the previous rounds.

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You can read about the application questions and top tips for your application here!

On average, the time commitment for sessions is 2-4 hours per week. Each week you will have a one hour mandatory “All Hands” session with your cohort. The rest of the sessions are completely optional. You can pick and choose which sessions will be most valuable to you.

Important: In Week 0, there are 3 days in-person and in Week 12, 2-3 days to prepare for Demo Day.

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Most of the program is virtual, with the exception of Week 0 which is in-person and held in either Melbourne or Sydney, and Demo Day, also in-person in Melbourne or Sydney.

This means you can participate from anywhere in the world. However, it’s worth noting that we have designed the program to be especially time-zone friendly to Australia and New Zealand.

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You’re still a great fit for the program! We’ve invested in startups with angel, pre-seed, and seed funding. The program’s laser focus on customer feedback and market validation is incredibly relevant to companies that are looking to scale. Additionally, handpicked mentors in your corner helping you address challenges as they arise continues to be invaluable for more established teams.

Yes, one of the cofounders does. We will only commit if you're committed. That's why we invest $120k: so you can focus 100% on solving the problem and moving the metrics that matter, week on week.

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

Startmate invests:

• AUD $120k on an AUD $1.5m post-money valuation for founders who have not raised at least AUD $200k previously; or
• AUD $120k, matching the last valuation for founders who have previously raised at least AUD $200k at that valuation.