Startup that just got $350,000 reveals the secrets to getting a government grant – StartupSmart
Applying for a government grant is a gruelling and time-consuming process and startups need to be prepared to do the hard yards, ScribblePost founder and CEO Alon Novy says.
The Sydney-based tech startup, which aims to become the world’s first productivity network, recently received $350,000 in funding through AusIndustry and Novy says taking the time to research the individual grants on offer was key.
“Grants carry significantly different criteria so be sure you are fundamentally suited to the grant as it will be a lot of work,” he tells StartupSmart.
“Our industry does a solid amount of due diligence on the companies they invest in so it’s important that you’re prepared to go through all the steps.
“We did research on various grants, which suited the lifecycle stage of our business the best.”
ScribblePost was selected as a grant winner in the highly competitive Accelerating Commercialisation program, a federal government initiative designed to assist entrepreneurs and small to medium businesses in commercialising novel products, processes and services.
“It’s really designed for companies on the verge of commercialising, which defined us,” Novy says.
As a startup that’s taking on international heavyweights such as Evernote and Asana, the grant comes as a big boost for Novy and his team.
He says the funding will enable ScribblePost to enhance its user experience and integration tools much more quickly so it can grow its user-base at a faster pace.
“$350,000 is a reasonably significant chunk of money that will allow us to accelerate a bunch of programs we would have had to defer for a long time,” Novy says.
More than just a task management program or organisational tool, ScribblePost is building a network that allows people around the world to record and share essential work-related information in a fast and fluid way to enhance productivity.
Global ideas make for strong contenders in grant applications, Novy says.
“ScribblePost organises your notes and surfaces the right information at the right time so you as an individual don’t have to spend time organising or duplicating information and you’re able to work in a consistent way with anyone, anywhere in the world,” he says.
ScribblePost is currently registering its first group of users and the team looks forward to opening up the system in 2016.