Startmate Accelerator

Take your startup to the next level

The Startmate Accelerator is designed to fast-track your growth in 12 weeks. You'll get $120k investment, build a better product with more users, and get access to the best platform in ANZ to raise capital.

PROGRAM DATE:

Jan 27

April 30, 2026

Applications close:

November 3, 2024

Raises Series A to take its electric boat motors global.

Raises $72M Series B to help property managers make better decisions.

Raised $1.28M Seed to make the fashion industry more sustainable.

Raises $8M Seed to replace plastics with seaweed.

Raises $30M in Series D to expand its bug bounty platform.

Raised $1.3M Pre-Seed to roll out insurance-at-checkout vision.

W22

Raised $24M Series A to end the world's reliance on plastic packaging.

Raised $170M Series B to develop its energy efficient, long-range WiFi chips.

SYD17

Raises $17.8M Series A to help people with chronic conditions.

MEL18

Raised $25M Series B to provide comprehensive cyber security risk assessments.

YOUR unfair advantage

Put simply, we help you grow your company much, much faster. You’ll get $120k investment, access to the best mentors in ANZ, and an unrivalled fundraising platform. The accelerator gets you laser-focused on what matters most - your customer and building something people want.

Connect with founders

Being a founder can be incredibly lonely. The most powerful thing that will happen to you at Startmate is that you’ll work alongside some of the most ambitious founders of this generation who are facing the same challenges you are, as well as founders who were in your shoes a few years before. These founders will become some of the most important people in your journey.

$120k - no hooks or surprises

Startmate invests $120k at a $1.5m post-money valuation for founders who haven’t raised a previous round, and we’ll match the latest valuation for those who have. You can find all the details about our investment terms here.

Access to thousands of talented operators

We’ve curated a community of 4000+ of ANZ’s best founders, operators and investors. You’ll plug in to the very centre of this universe. Your unfair advantage is that you’ll get the first pick of the best fresh talent through our programs and memberships and a warm intro to any VC, angel investor, or mentor you need.

Supercharge your fundraising

Think of us as your fundraising co-pilot. Fundraising is both the most important and least important job of an early stage founder: it's often critical for the success of your company, but it takes huge amounts of time and energy away from building the company. We help bulletproof your pitch, create a fundraising strategy, and get you in front of the right people, including in the US.

Our belief in you changes what you (and others) think you’re capable of

We hear it time and time again: having someone who sees something in you that no one else does is a powerful ambition raiser. We’ll push you, but we’ll also be your biggest champions forever - we’ll continue to invest in you every time you raise through our auto-deploy Continuity fund. Having the Startmate brand behind you will be a stamp of approval to every potential investor or employee you meet.

Relentless focus on what is most important

The Accelerator is defined by customer obsession. You’ll spend 12 weeks having some of the most pivotal conversations of your startup’s life. You’ll be laser focused on listening, learning and building a product that your customers really, really want.

Other VC’s we partner with

Mentors

Our mentors invest their own money in the fund that directly invests in you, meaning they will run through brick walls to see you succeed. You’ll get dedicated partner mentors with deep expertise in your area, as well as unfettered access to an advisor pool of some of the best and brightest leaders and operators in ANZ.

Adam Milgrom

Partner @ Giant Leap

Alex Bertram

General Manager Americas @ Greenroom Robotics

Anthony Drury

Partner @ Accelerate Growth

Christina Hobbs

General Manager @ Future Super & Founder @ Verve Super)

Bill Kerr

Founder & CEO @ Athyna

Gemma Clancy

Co-Founder & Head of Marketing @ Stella Startups

Karla Belista

Director of Product @ GumGum

Kate Andrews

CTO @ CipherStash

Tania Clarke

Fractional Product Marketer

Nikhil Singh

Co-Founder @ Deciphr.AI

Kendra Vant

Founder and Director @ Europa Labs

Kristin Perchal

Product Director @ Atlassian

Catherine Keating

Advisor @ Eucalyptus, Moregooddays & Ovum AI

David Kenney

Founder @ Prop Data IQ & Advisor @ Epic Execution

Talia Wachtel

COO @ Programa

Our track record

300+

companies invested in by Startmate that are worth a combined $4.5+ billion

50%

of companies raise capital post-Accelerator

$1.8M

is the median round size of companies that raised equity rounds post-Accelerator in the past 2 years

Program breakdown

The Startmate Accelerator is a hybrid program that you can join from anywhere in Australia or New Zealand. There are three in-person weeks - week 0, mid-program and Demo Day week. The remainder is remote.

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Week 0

Setting the stage

Come together in Melbourne to get to know the cohort and the Startmate mentors, establish ambitious goals, understand your blindspots and set a vision for your company.

Week 1-12

Customer obsession

You’ll be laser-focused on the most important thing – customers and growth.

Week 7

IRL week

Come together as a cohort with the Startmate mentors to reset your strategy to achieve your goals, craft your narrative and get ready for fundraising.

Week 11-12

Expedite investment

Come together as a cohort with the Startmate mentors to reset your strategy to achieve your goals, craft your narrative and get ready for fundraising.

Finale

Demo Day Week

This is your chance to showcase your progress throughout the program to an audience of 1000+ investors, operators, founders. You’ll get media as well as customer, investor, and hiring leads obtained on the night. Check out the video from our last Demo Day.

Is the Startmate Accelerator for you?

We're industry agnostic.

We've invested in companies spanning an insanely diverse range of industries. From ed-tech, health-tech, prop-tech and climate-tech to space-tech, fin-tech and legal-tech.

You're never too early.

‍67% of Accelerator companies had no revenue when they applied and every cohort has had at least one company that is idea-stage and pre-MVP.

We strive for equal representation.

‍Diversity builds smarter solutions. Since 2021, 40% of our companies have 1 or more women co-founders.

9.2/10 from 250+ alumni reviews

We were fortunate enough to be accepted into the Startmate Accelerator and went through a pretty intense 12 weeks which was, honestly, life changing.

Jarman Stephens

Co-founder @ gridmo

The Accelerator is a really competitive program and a lot is asked from you during this program, but knowing that will allow you make the most out of the opportunity, whether that means investment, mentors, or connections.

Steph Skevington

Co-founder @ Butter

We’ve done Startmate twice now. Startmate helps you turn you into someone who can run a company. Having some forcing us to talk to 100 customers per week… you won't have that pressure anywhere else

Rory San Miguel

Co-founder and CEO @ Propeller Aero

Get to know our accelerator alumni

View ALL

Uluu

ULUU is developing an ocean material that’s carbon negative, home compostable and able to replace all kinds of plastic.

Borne

Australia’s first mother-centric postpartum hotel and wellness platform ensuring every mother’s health is well-supported, deeply understood and expertly navigated following childbirth.

Tendl

Respond to tenders and grants faster with Tendl.

Register your interest

Move faster than you ever thought possible, build a better product with more users, and join the best platform in ANZ to raise capital. The Accelerator is ready for you.

PROGRAM DATE:

weeks

Jan 27

Apr 30

Application close:

Nov 3

Frequently asked questions

How do we match valuations?

Startmate is able to match the valuation of your last raise.

There are a couple of conditions that need to be met for Startmate to match the valuation of your last raise:

You need to have raised at least AUD $250,000 from VC or angel investors (i.e. not friends or family).
The investment needs to be completely finalised (i.e. executed documents) prior to you being invited for interviews..

‍Note: We will ask for executed investment documents (i.e. a SAFE / Subscription Agreement / Term Sheet) as part of the selection process to confirm the above.

How do we select which companies make it into the program?

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 + 90sec 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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What are the Startmate investment terms?

At Startmate we like to keep it simple without hooks or surprises.

Startmate invests AUD $120,000 with the following investment terms:

Founders who have not previously raised: at a AUD $1.5m post-money valuation.
Founders who have previously raised capital: we match the terms and valuation from their previous round.
- Note: You must have already raised AUD $250,000 or more. During the selection process you'll need to provide signed documents.

You get to choose whether we invest via a SAFE, or in your priced equity round.

What if I’ve raised capital already?

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.

Where can I see a copy of the application questions?

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