Startmate in 2017 is getting even better.
Startmate Applications Are Now Open For 2017
Application link here.
Applications for Startmate 2017 close on October 1.
50% More Money
For Startmate 2017, we are increasing the funding per company to $75,000.
Startmate invests $75,000 in return for 7.5% of the startup’s equity
For startups who have raised more than $250,000, we will invest the $75,000 at the same terms as the most recent round of funding.
Welcoming The Startmate Partners
Startmate is all about founders helping other founders.
In order to do that more effectively, Startmate is being joined by 4 new partners in 2017.
The role of the Startmate Partners is to provide dedicated, daily 1:1 support, coaching and guidance to the Startmate teams both in the US and in Australia.
From L-R: Samantha Wong, Ned Dwyer, Holly Cardew, Alan Downie
Samantha Wong: Sam is Head of Operations at Blackbird Ventures. Prior to joining Blackbird, Sam co-founded a Startmate Company, CapacityHQ, a professional services marketplace, and career-pivoted out of corporate law to lead Product and Strategy teams at SurfStitch.com.
Ned Dwyer: Ned was the founder of Blackbird-backed startup Elto which was acquired by GoDaddy in 2015. He’s now a Director of Product there and spends his time focussed on growth, BD and marketplaces. He’s been based in SF for the past three years too and his experience and networks will rapidly accelerate the teams’ SF learning curve.
Holly Cardew: Holly is the founder and CEO of Pixc. She was part of the first Muru-D class and also went on to 500 Startups. She has been based in the US for the last 2 years and has built Pixc without a technical co-founder which speaks to her drive and persistence.
Alan Downie: Alan is the CEO and co-founder of BugHerd. He was part of Startmate’s very first cohort in 2011 and has been an investor in multiple Startmate batches since. He previously co-founded UsabilityHub. He has been repeatedly voted by founders as one of the most helpful mentors. Having also been through 500 Startups, he brings a ton of experience and insight to the role.
The Startmate Roadshow
To meet with as many teams as possible, Startmate is a conducting a roadshow throughout Australia in August and September.
Key Dates:
Sydney — Wednesday 17 August Startmate Q&A @ Fishburners
Brisbane — Monday 22 August Startmate Office Hours @ River City Labs
Sydney — Thursday 25 August LMBDW Speaking Panel: Funding Options @ Freelancer
Melbourne — Tuesday 30 August Startup Vic August Pitch Night @ Inspire9
Melbourne — Thursday 1 September StartupVic Female Founders Event @ The Commons
Canberra — Friday 2 September Startmate Q&A @ Entry 29
About Startmate (A Refresher)
Startmate invests in Australian founders with global ambition.
Startmate is Australia’s most successful startup accelerator.
Startmate’s investments include:
UpGuard — $17MM Series B (August 2016)
Bugcrowd — $15MM Series B (April 2016)
Flirtey — Successfully completed the first fully autonomous FAA-approved urban drone delivery in the US (March 2016)
Propeller — $1MM Series A from Blackbird Ventures and Michael Gonski (October 2015)
Edrolo — $2.6MM Series A from Airtree Ventures and Blackbird Ventures (May 2015)
Other notable Startmate investments: Happy Inspector, Bugherd, Vero, Flightfox, Lucy.ai, Workyard, Elevio, Kinderloop, QPay, Koala Safe, & Pixel Together
More than 30 mentors invest both their time and their money into the Startmate program, including:
- Mike Cannon-Brookes & Scott Farquhar — Atlassian founders
- Susan Wu — Prominent angel investor (Twitter, Square)
- Bardia Housman — Founder of Business Catalyst (acqd. By Adobe)
- Alan Downie, Stuart Argue, Nick Holmes a Court, Casey Ellis — Startmate Alumni
Startmate was founded in 2011 by Niki Scevak. Niki also co-founded Blackbird Ventures, a technology venture capital fund with $230MM under management.
Startmate runs for 5 months, with the program kicking off in Australia, then finishing in Silicon Valley where teams meet and pitch to the world’s best technology investors.
What are you waiting for?
