Female Founders Co-Investment Fund (Australia)

• support Queensland-based female founders to close early-stage investment rounds leveraging Government backing,
• support Queensland female founders to grow innovative businesses across a wide range of industries,
• increase the number of female founders participating in the Queensland innovation ecosystem, and
• help to grow an investment pipeline for female founded businesses.

The fund is best suited for businesses planning to use the sale of shares through a new capital raise and who understand the responsibilities and legal requirements of equity funding. If you are not yet ready to raise capital, check the Investment Resources below to learn more about the startup capital raising process.

Funding and Support

• The Fund provides grants from $50,000 to $200,000 matched at a 1:3 ratio for a raise round led by an eligible investment entity. The organisation must secure a minimum of $150,000 in external investment to be eligible to receive a minimum of $50,000 in grant funding.

Eligibility

• To be eligible for funding, organisations must:
  • be a business headquartered in Queensland (operating and having its head office located in Queensland)
  • have an active ABN and be registered for GST
  • be majority female owned: have at least 51% of shares held by a woman/women (at least six months before application)
  • female led: have at least one primary executive decision-making position held by a woman (at least six months before application) e.g. Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Technology Officer
  • have no more than 50 full-time-equivalent employees
  • not be a subsidiary of a group of companies that has more than 50 full-time-equivalent employees in total
  • not have received investment through previous capital raises totalling more than $500,000.
• The organisation should also:
  • have an investment plan to approach new eligible investment entities within the next six months OR have already secured an offer of investment from an eligible investment entity
  • have a clear innovation focus
  • have a product/service beyond proof of concept
  • have an established business plan covering the next 12 months
  • have a clear runway and growth plan for 12 months
  • plan to use the funding to scale their business.

For more information, visit Queensland Government.