SBE Australia is expanding its current programs to include life sciences-focused content in Melbourne with support from LaunchVic under its Round 4 Global Accelerator Funding.
SBE Australia’s licensed Life Sciences Springboard Enterprises Accelerator and its broader, earlier stage E3: Empower, Evolve, Escalate program, for women founders and business leaders, are now open for expressions of interest or enrolment nationally.
SBE Australia will be funded by LaunchVic to deliver the Accelerator program licensed from the Springboard Enterprises Health Innovation Hub, directly from the US, to more than 20 female entrepreneurs over 3 years.
Access to the program is competitive. It comprises of a three-day bootcamp designed to support women-led businesses in their long-term financial and human capital needs. This is followed by an advisory period with customised coaching and technical support from local, US and global industry leaders, influencers, investors and mentors in the Springboard Enterprises network.
SBE Australia ran a pilot Biotech Program in Melbourne in April.
The inaugural 2018 cohort completed the program on 28 June 28. They presented their life-science businesses at the SBE Dolphin Tank in Sydney with the 2018 Tech Accelerator cohort.
Participants included Ms Kathy Harrison, CEO of Dimerix; Dr Anabela Correia, CEO of Livac; and, Dr Mimi Tang, Founder of Prota Therapeutics.
SBE Australia offers support to its alumnae for life and not just the duration of the program.
LaunchVic is supporting SBE Australia to run community events as well as its E3 program for more than 60 earlier stage female-led businesses in Melbourne over the next 3 years.
The E3 program operates as an eight module program, providing hands-on learning delivered through its network of industry leaders.
More information is available online.
“Global and local research shows female business leaders and entrepreneurs do not have the same access to high-growth capital as their male counterparts due to smaller networks," said SBE Australia’s Chair and Springboard Enterprises Alumna (2000), Kerri Lee Sinclair.
"SBE Australia together with Springboard Enterprises has been curating and developing these networks globally for female entrepreneurs for 6 years. LaunchVic is an ideal partner, not only for their support of the programs, but for the strength and depth of their network into so many parts of the Victorian ecosystem. We are all aligned when female-founded companies succeed - not only economically, but as a society due to the flow on benefits we experience."