Five Start-ups to watch - GRIFFIN Accelerator's latest program participants
The GRIFFIN Accelerator has just announced the successful teams for its 2016 program. Five teams were selected, with all, bar one, featuring female founders.
Dr Craig Davis, CEO, GRIFFIN Accelerator, said of the selection made, "We have a wonderful diversity in the startups, from platforms, to brands, to innovative physical products. All teams have innovations with the potential to make a big impact."
Dr Craig Davis address the crowd at First Wednesday Connect
Having assessed over eighty expressions of interest, the quality of the teams selected for this year's GRIFFIN Accelerator program is reflective of the high strength of startups, entrepreneurship and innovation in Canberra.
Dr Davis also said, "The mentors and I are particularly pleased that four of the five startups are founded by women and we hope that is a sign that the typical imbalance can change."
Here the successful teams:
Serial inventor Hollie Bell first started a web design business, which later became BizzTools, that supplies online loan calculators to mortgage brokers and banks.
Hollie has also invented two sewing tools, one which has already been manufactured and sold, and one in progress.
Anti Grabbity, spiked panels attached to balcony railings, Hollie's fourth invention, hopes to save small kids from falling off balconies and young adults from engaging in risky behaviour.
CycleLifeHQ, an AirBnB for cycling experiences, helps people to enjoy cycling rides and tours curated by local experts, who create unique cycle experiences based on their knowledge and local insights.
Cyclists use the CycleLifeHQ platform to find, arrange, enjoy, and rate their cycling experiences. CycleLifeHQ Founder, Charles Black, recently left a twenty-five-year corporate career to focus on the startup.
Rockstars and Royalty Founder, Vicky Kidd-Gallichan, has been designing and producing elaborate, vintage inspired gowns for eighteen years. Vicky began Rockstars and Royalty in 2008, following her move from England to Canberra. Since its inception Rockstars and Royalty has established a large, dedicated following, both nationally and internationally.
Hometaste Founder, Teena Thaliyath, has over nine years of experience as business consultant within the IT industry in both the public and private sectors.
Teena believes strongly in the transformative power of technology, which she has combined with a love traditional home cooking.
Hometaste aims to provide a smarter and better way to experience food and believes food is more than just food, that it can be a powerful and positive agent of change in communities.
Mashblox Founder, Alix O'Hara, is a local Canberra artist, freelance model and former ICT Project Manager. Alix's brainchild, Mashblox, was inspired in January of this year, by her watching of a toddler eating an apple.
Mashblox prototypes are being tested for their benefit to fussy eaters and their parents. Please get in touch with Mashblox, via the company's Facebook page, if your child's a fussy eater and you are interested in helping with product research.
All five entrepreneurs will work with Griffin Accelerator over the next three months. The Shaker will be checking in to see their progress in the coming weeks.
Stay tuned!