Up to $20,000 is available from Young Starters Fund to deliver events and activities that build entrepreneurial and startup skills in young Queenslanders.
Young Starters Fund
The Advance Queensland Young Starters’ Fund is designed to:
- promote entrepreneurship as an alternative employment pathway
- to grow numbers of young entrepreneurial talent in Queensland
- provide opportunities for Queensland’s young entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to the world through the Young Starters’ competition
- help turn the ideas of young entrepreneurs into a business with high-growth potential.
Funding will be available to organisations to help the Queensland startup community conduct capacity building activities aimed at Queenslanders aged 15-24.
Background
The Advance Queensland Young Starters program is designed to build, attract and retain young entrepreneurial talent, build the startup ecosystem to position Queensland as an attractive investment destination with a strong innovation and entrepreneurial culture
The Young Starters program consists of two elements:
- the Young Starters Fund
- an annual state-wide pitching competition
Objective
The Young Starters Fund aims to build and attract young entrepreneurial talent in Queensland, and retain early stage entrepreneurs and highperforming university graduates. The program will provide a pathway for young founders, researchers and social innovators to gain entrepreneurial and commercialisation experience and skills through experience-based learning in incubators, accelerators, co-working spaces, research organisations, and other service providers.
This Fund aims to assist universities, TAFEs, incubators accelerators, co-working spaces, and high schools to deliver:
- practical information and advice
- increased collaboration and networking opportunities
- connectivity and transformation entrepreneurship to young Queenslanders.
Funding
The Advance Queensland Young Starters Fund will provide funding up to $20,000 (excluding GST) to eligible organisations to deliver events and activities that build entrepreneurial and technology startup skills.
Eligible Activities
To be eligible for the Young Starters Fund, your activity must:
- be conducted on a not-for-profit basis and demonstrate broad benefit for the Queensland startup community
- align with the Advance Queensland principles
- cover one or more of the following:
- improve capability and capacity
- access to capital
- collaboration, building networks and connectivity
- access to markets
- leadership
- skills development
- culture and promoting success.
Collaboration with other organisations will be favourably considered.
Eligible activities include youth (aged 15-24) focused events such as:
- startup weekends
- startup bootcamps
- startup meet-up groups or networking activities
- startup webinars
- startup workshops
- startup forums.
Eligible costs include venue hire, travel and accommodation for presenters, catering, promotion, and fees for external speakers and consultants.
Eligible Applicants
- funding is open to profit and not-for-profit organisations
- applicants must have an ABN and be registered for GST
- if not based in Queensland, applicant organisations must partner with a Queensland based organisation
- applicants must be 18 years or over
- all staff and volunteers working with children under 18 must hold a current Blue Card
- Organisations already receiving other Queensland Government funding are eligible to apply for this funding. The 30 per cent matched funding contribution from these organisations cannot be sourced from existing Queensland Government funding.
- funding cannot be provided for any activity that has received funding through another Advance Queensland program.
Timing
Applications close 15 September 2017.
Young Starters Fund Round 2 Recipients
Recipient | Project outline | Project dates and Location | Funding amount (GST excl.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Coomera P12 State College | Startup Apprentice Eight Week Accelerator Program delivered as part of the Year 10 curriculum. An action based entrepreneurial education programs teaches the ‘Silicon Valley’ lean approach to starting a business. | August to November 2016 Upper Coomera | $17,000 |
| Townsville Region Indigenous Business Network | Academy for Young Entrepreneurs in Thuringowa and Kirwan State High Schools. The program encourages students to create ideas, which solve a problem, with a strong learning experience to equip them later in life. | February to April 2017 Kirwan and Thuringowa | $19,000 |
| Time Masters (Australia) Pty Limited | ‘Open Your Eyes to Cash’ forum event, marketed and promoted for a youth audience to inform and connect them with funding and support services. An officer from the Small Business Division, Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games will also attend to promote Advance Queensland initiatives. | 23 August 2016 Loganholme | $11,500 |
| The SPACE Australasia Pty Ltd | FNQ Schools Startup Summit 2016 – startup bootcamp is a chance for students, teachers and parents to come together and learn exactly where they can best position these new found skills being developed in STEAM education models. | 5 to 7 October 2016 Cairns | $4,233 |
| Southern Downs Regional Council | Southern Downs INCubate Twilight Startup Workshop specifically designed to build the entrepreneurial skills and mindset of young people aged 15 and over. | 22 October 2016 Warwick | $7,000 |
| Southbank Business Association | The Big 5 – 5 Big Learnings from Industry Experts startup forum which will explore the professional journeys of industry experts within the creative, tech and startup space. | 20 October 2016 South Bank | $7,500 |
| Queensland University of Technology | Startup Hatch Disrupting Law Weekend—a 54-hour innovation workshop meets ‘Shark Tank’ competition over the course of the weekend to develop a concept that innovates an aspect of access to justice or the legal profession | 5 to 7 August 2016 Brisbane | $14,000 |
| Marist Youth Car |