From redefining wellbeing in the workplace, to monitoring our carbon footprint and reducing microplastic waste. Meet the second Velocity cohort of 2021.
The MAP Velocity Program is back and our second cohort is raring to go! The teams are tackling a wide range of issues this program, with a beauty brand aiming to reduce waste produced by the global cosmetics industry, to a team who are working on preventing deforestation, and a chat app specifically designed for seniors who struggle with digital technology.
MAP Velocity is a 10-week program for early-stage founders, focused on customer discovery and market validation. With the support of LaunchVic, MAP has been able to run two Velocity programs this year. As it has been delivered entirely online, this means that founders from across the state of Victoria have been able to participate.
We are very excited to welcome back Hugh Laverty to the MAP family in his role as Velocity Program Manager. Hugh joined the startup community in 2018 through the University of Melbourne’s Wade Institute for Entrepreneurship. He is a passionate advocate for early-stage founders and enjoys mentoring and helping founders progress past the many roadblocks on their journey to global success.
Hugh will be guiding the cohort over the 10-week program. The founders will learn to establish their business models, validate and understand their customers, as well as develop their go to market strategies. “I’m very excited with the breadth of startups we have in the cohort this year. We have founders working on regenerating forests, filtering ocean microplastics and even researching new cancer therapies. Their collective ambition for changing the world is remarkable.”
The cohort hails from a broad range of backgrounds and industries, including engineering, business and medicine. Around half of the founders are either current students or alumni of the University of Melbourne, and more than fifty percent of teams are working on solving problems for social impact.
With thanks to the generous support of the Cameron Foundation, and in line with our commitment to foster an environment focused on diversity, inclusion, collaboration, and impact, at the end of the program one outstanding social impact startup will be awarded a $5,000 Cameron Fellowship Award grant.
The cohort has collectively raised $3.63m in funding, generated $1.2m in revenue during the last financial year, and has employed 33 full time staff. It is great to see some fantastic milestones being reached by these early-stage entrepreneurs before they have even begun their Velocity journey and we cannot wait to see how they will grow over the course of the next eight weeks.
The members of this cohort are hoping to accelerate their go to market plans, develop their MVPs and some are even on the hunt to find co-founders.
To keep updated on all current cohort, past alumni and recent program news, as well as to register for the upcoming MAP Velocity Showcase on 15 December 2021, make sure you sign up to our newsletter.
To find out what Velocity can do for you and your business, you can fill out an expression of interest form here. Our EOI’s are open year-round.
There are 25 startups and 37 founders participating in the program this semester. Read on to find out more:
2021 MAP Velocity Cohort 2
AUDIOLA
AUDIOLA is a chat app that presents as an analogue radio for seniors who struggle with digital tech.
Bloom Lifestyle
Through meaningful and mindful accent décor, Bloom brings simple tools and elegant environments to nurture mental wellbeing and unleash true human potential by instilling an empowering, positive, conscious change — all based on science.
Carbon
Carbon is an app that generates a carbon footprint score based on your purchase history.
Coursework
Coursework is a construction course marketplace.
D-Tech Philter
D-Tech Philter helps to reduce microplastic waste which affects marine life by using a custom-built filter for households and industries.
Dayta Class
Dayta Class acquires student data via personalised quizzing systems and standardised tests (e.g. Naplan) which is transformed into actionable insights that are communicated to teachers to help them make informed learning decisions.
em-u health
em-u health is redefining wellbeing at work. The team has designed two tools; Desk.Coach and Movement.Coach. These tools provide holistic health solutions to empower teams in the workplace, whilst mitigating risk for business.
EverythingData
EverythingData has produced Rensights, a user-friendly and retail-centric desktop app that offers sales recommendations driven by AI and predictive analytics capabilities.
FitFun
FitFun is a free social platform that connects individuals and groups with a community of like-minded people who love fitness and sport.
Footprints
Footprints is a web app that empowers you to fully analyse your cost data within minutes and gain never seen insights helping you to make better decisions. Using the capabilities of Data, Machine Learning and AI and ensuring a convenient user interface for everyone.
FURNISHD.
FURNISHD. is Australia’s leading online interior design studio, re-imagining the way we design and shop for our homes.
Guida
Guida uses adaptive education tools, making it easy for anyone to become an expert in caring about people and caring for people with life-changing health conditions.
J Stn
J Stn is working on the expansion of safe renewable solar energy to waterborne locations.
Krillin Robotics and Technologies
Krillin Robotics and Technologies has designed robots and smart technology systems, using AI to help combat loneliness in humans.
Multilayered Nanofiltration System
Multilayered Nanofiltration System is developing a pioneering device that can be used for domestic water filtration, especially in regions lacking infrastructures for clean drinking water.
oncoStarv
oncoStarv is working on a therapy which starves cancer of nutrients they need to survive to improve existing standard-of-care therapy for cancer patients.
Outsourced.com
Outsourced.com is an online platform that connects small businesses and service providers.
Pheeder
Pheeder is teaching the world to confidently cook inspiring, sustainable food through the use of accessible online courses.
Plot
Plot is a solution that brings together deforestation prevention and micro-ownership, generating collective conservation of biodiverse forests to build a better future for everyone.
purpleMind
purpleMind improves employee wellbeing in the workplace and therefore overall productivity.
ReMI
ReMI is the next generation beauty brand that is tackling waste produced by the global cosmetics industry, whilst making sustainability effortless.
Supa
Supa is simplifying superannuation in Australia; it is an investment platform for your super. Making super, simple.
TNK2
TNK2 customises cybersecurity training programs for individuals through the quantification of human errors. The team at TNK2 look at the science of errors, how it relates to cybersecurity and how our errors make us less secure — from downloading a malware-infected attachment to failing to use a strong password.
Wadoo
Wadoo is the City of Melbourne gamified, featuring missions that take you to places in the CBD, the ability to earn points and redeem real-life rewards and customisations.
wood4good
wood4good is a mission-driven organisation using regenerative forestry practices to create new forests.
The team works collaboratively with nature and its partners to create new forests on degraded farmland. The forests are expertly manipulated and sensitively harvested over time to become permanent forests that provide a perpetual source of renewable materials, bioenergy and income.
