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Startmate's First Believers supports aspiring and budding investors in building the confidence and networks they need to invest in the next wave of entrepreneurial talent.
How do you become a honeypot for exceptional founders? What are your biases? How do you develop your investment thesis? How do you earn the 'right to play' with founders in their investment rounds?
First Believers is a program of self-discovery, giving you practical insight into how investors source deals, make decisions and measure success.
We’ll expose you to 30+ early-stage startups during the Startmate Accelerator selection process, and you’ll track your thinking about whether you’d invest. As the companies progress, you’ll monitor your 'shadow portfolio', and re-examine your original reasoning to uncover your biases.
Alongside other First Believers, you'll refine and develop your investment strategy, and establish clear next steps in your journey to angel investing.
If you want to build confidence in making angel investments, better understand the investor's lens, or build a career in venture, First Believers is the place for you.
You don’t have to be a sophisticated investor. You don’t need to have $$$ to invest. You can join with or without any prior experience.
Our MVP cohort of First Believers came from a range of backgrounds, including past founders, corporate venture capitalists, high growth technology company employees and ecosystem champions.
No! First Believers is about developing future investors. You will come across opportunities for investment through the program, but this is not required or expected.
The program runs virtually twice a year, kicking off in May and December, with applications due the month before. The program is run remotely. We encourage you to apply from anywhere in Australia or New Zealand. Each cohort is made up of about 30 people across a range of industries, locations and levels of experience.
First Believers requires a time commitment of two hours per fortnight to engage with the content and community. The time commitment is slightly greater at the beginning of the program as the learning curve is so steep.
The First Believers program fee is $3,000 + GST. Startmate offers full and part scholarships for the First Believers program. This fee will only be invoiced after program acceptance. The fee can be paid upfront or via instalments.
The Startmate Women Fellowship is a two month program giving ambitious women the tools, connections and confidence to find their dream job in a startup.
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