{"id":32976,"date":"2023-10-20T14:29:39","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/springboard-enterprises-australias-accelerator-program-for-female-entrepreneurs-launched-sexism-still-rife-in-startup-ecosystem-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T14:29:39","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T14:29:39","slug":"springboard-enterprises-australias-accelerator-program-for-female-entrepreneurs-launched-sexism-still-rife-in-startup-ecosystem-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/springboard-enterprises-australias-accelerator-program-for-female-entrepreneurs-launched-sexism-still-rife-in-startup-ecosystem-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"Springboard Enterprises Australia’s accelerator program for female entrepreneurs launched \u2013 sexism still rife in startup ecosystem – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>\n

Since entering the tech startup world, Carolyn Mee has regularly encountered the sexism and inequality that often pervades the industry. <\/p>\n

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She\u2019s the founder of cmee4 Productions<\/a>, a startup that aims to harness games for health outcomes. Its flagship game, Sound Scout, tests the hearing of pre-schoolers through a fun and interactive game.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Mee has faced problems that have arisen entirely because she\u2019s a woman. It\u2019s the little things, she says. At tech conferences she says she is never approached by men, despite being the founder of a startup. She also says she is rarely asked her role in the business, with many assuming she\u2019s not even involved.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou just scratch your head,\u201d Mee says. \u201cA lot of the men aren\u2019t even aware it\u2019s happening, and that they\u2019re involved. It\u2019s a big journey to change the psyche.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first step everyone needs to take is to acknowledge the women in the room and the involvement,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mee, and her company cmee4 Productions, were recently announced as one of ten women-led startups to be taking part in SBE\u2019s Springboard Enterprises Australia accelerator program. The program is designed to identify qualified female-led startups that are growing rapidly and are looking for gross capital to continue to do so.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It seems Mee\u2019s experiences in the tech startup world alone prove why something like this is necessary to begin the process of change.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

SBE Australia chair Topaz Conway says the accelerator program is all about empowering female entrepreneurs and assisting them in building their companies.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen are sometimes hesitant to say \u2018yes I can grow a million dollar company\u2019, while men are more likely to just say that,\u201d Conway says.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen have come out of it seeking much bigger goals than when they came in,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s about having the people around them who not only help with the internal business things, but having someone who they can also turn to for unconditional advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The program includes a two-day \u201cbootcamp-style\u201d forum where the ten startups will meet with advisors from the US and Australia with the aim of profiling their investment credentials and gaining crucial connections.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The accelerator program launched in Australia in 2013, and successful startups like Switch Automation<\/a>, 365 Cups<\/a> and Flamingo<\/a> have already taken part in it.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a very exciting thing to be involved with, Mee says.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re a startup you are constantly looking for validation around your ideas and your business. Being accepted into this program helps you achieve that validation,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

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Mee eventually wants to be a role model of sorts for other female entrepreneurs, and to encourage other women to enter the male-dominated realm.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a challenge, I don\u2019t want to be bogged down by it, and part of me wants to lead by example,\u201d she says. \u201cOne of the key things about being selected for me is that my long term ambition is to be an inspiration to others and an advocate, to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The other companies accepting into SBE\u2019s Springboard Enterprises Australia Accelerator Program:<\/b><\/p>\n

InvoiceBid<\/a>: enabling businesses to raise working capital finance by selling their customer invoices to get paid faster.<\/p>\n

Healthkit<\/a>: an online health management platform for use by doctors and patients.<\/p>\n

OSCAR Hospitality Solutions<\/a>: automating residents\u2019 nutritional and dietary requirements.<\/p>\n

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DNA Security Solutions<\/a>: DNA technology to help businesses protect their staff<\/div>\n
and customers from armed robbery.<\/div>\n

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SpeeDx<\/a>: diagnostics tests and technologies that deliver information about health outcomes.<\/p>\n

PD Online<\/a>: an online platform letting organisations create, sell, deliver and track online training via any device.<\/p>\n

Virtualiis: shifting traditional print advertising into a world of virtual marketing.<\/p>\n

Starts At Sixty<\/a>: the most-read media site for over-60s in Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n

OpenAgent<\/a>: A crowd-sourced review site for real estate agents.<\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Raising your <\/i>first round of capital<\/i><\/a>? Starting a <\/i>crowdfunding campaign<\/i><\/a>? Want to grow your business <\/i>with Instagram?<\/i><\/a> StartupSmart School can help.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since entering the tech startup world, Carolyn Mee has regularly encountered the sexism and inequality that often pervades the industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32976"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}